Unbreakable
by Reese M
Summary: The team travels into the future to hinder Vandal Savage's rise to power. Their first stop, 2041, where lives are threatened and Sara is faced with some personal truths. The team's actions in 2041 than carry over to other events further down the line. How will their actions shape what they face in 2166. NysSara centric. Mentions of events from Arrow.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is an AU where the timeline is slightly askew so events are closer together than in the shows. I own nothing but the OCs everything else is CW's and I'm just playing with them.

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They gathered around the center consol on the bridge of the Waverider waiting for Gideon, the ship's A.I., to calculate the next logical place to find Vandal Savage. They were running out of time, literally. The time traveling ship's captain, the man who had brought this rag tag team of heroes and well, not quite heroes, knew this deep down. Rip Hunter had been at this a very long time and though he often let his emotions get the better of him he had the knowledge and skill to see the writing on the wall. It wouldn't be long before they had to take the fight to Savage at the peek of his power, 2166, but Rip was hoping this next opportunity would be the one that saved them all from that particular fate.

"Gideon." Rip said impatiently. "Have you found anything yet?"

"The year 2041." The accented female voice replied. "Vandal Savage acquires an ally that significantly strengthens his power base, allowing him to move forward with his plans of world domination."

"Must be one hell of friend if it makes that big a difference." Jax Jackson said.

"Who's the ally, Gideon?" Ray Palmer asks.

There was a brief pause. Gibeon, despite being a computer, had a real flair for the dramatic. "Ra's al Ghul."

"I wish I could say I'm surprised." Sara growled. "But Savage is just the type of evil Malcolm Merlyn would be drawn too."

"Malcolm Merlyn was deposed as Ra's al Ghul shortly after you came aboard, Sara." Gideon informed the blonde. "According to current historical data there was a brief though rather destructive civil war between Malcolm Merlyn and Nyssa al Ghul, which ended with Merlin's defeat at the hands of Nyssa al Ghul's champion and husband, Oliver Queen."

"That's my girl." Sara began and then stopped, blinked, and said. "Wait, did you just say husband?" Jealousy lit up Sara's eyes but jealousy over whom, Nyssa or Oliver or both? "What the hell happened while I was dead?"

"It was complicated." Ray told her with a shrug of his shoulders and as innocent a look as he could muster.

"I think we've lost sight of the bigger picture here." Snart cut in before Sara could intimate Ray into more details. "This Al Ghoul chick is making Savage stronger. So we take her out and it'll weaken him instead."

"Nyssa al Ghul isn't Vandal Savage's ally." Gibeon cut in. "Nyssa al Ghul's reign as Ra's al Ghul was short. Following her ascension to the title she disbanded the League of Assassins, freeing all of its members from their vows."

Again Sara was utterly dumbfounded. All Nyssa ever wanted was to be her father's heir, to be Ra's al Ghul. No. No, that wasn't the only thing Nyssa wanted. There had been something she'd wanted far more than that. She'd wanted a life with Sara. "What happened to Nyssa after that?"

This time it was Rip who answered. "We don't know for sure. Her timeline is in flux it's hard to know how it will play out."

"Why?" Sara asked.

"Because of you." Rory told her. "The histories of the people you left behind are jello right now because we're out here poking time with a pointy stick."

"Then it could still be Nyssa." Ray said carefully. "Who else would calm to be Ra's?"

"It's not Nyssa." Sara hissed at him. "She would never throw in with a man like Savage."

Before the crew could get into an argument, Rip cut in. "There's only one way to find out for sure. Gideon, set a course. 2041."

Everyone took their seats and strapped in as the Waverider prepared to make the trip across time to the year 2041. Each lost in their own thoughts but none more so than Sara. Nyssa had been on her mind a lot lately. She hadn't gotten to see Nyssa after her resurrection. Malcolm had imprisoned her for destroying the Lazarus pit before she'd fully come around, and then Laurel had brought her back to Star City as soon as she'd been able. Following her experience with John Constantine Sara had been so wrapped up in herself and dealing with what happened she just couldn't think about Nyssa. Then Rip showed up and now here she was trying to play hero along side a motley crew of wannabe heroes, antiheros, and Rory.

Sara knew without any doubt they would not be dealing with Nyssa, she wasn't worried about that, but she couldn't stop thinking about what happened to Nyssa after she left. She'd seen a future version of Ollie and Star City, she'd been told that nearly everyone she loved was dead or had fled, but what had happened to Nyssa? Was that even still a possible future? She hoped not.

When the Waverider finally landed the team found themselves on an uncharted island somewhere in the pacific. Sara could tell Rip was unsure about bringing her along because of her personal history with Nyssa, Ra's, and the League but she also knew he knew she was their best asset on this mission. Right now it was all about getting information. They would come up with an actual plan once they knew what they were dealing with. Not that they're plans ever actually worked so maybe it was better they didn't have one.

The team was once again gathered around the center consol as Gibeon displayed a 3D map of the island. It wasn't until she saw the compound that Sara realized where they were. She took control of the map and zoomed in on the house at the heart of the compound. The house was a mix of Arabic and Mediterranean architecture, a lot of stone and marble, a lot of open space, courtyards, and archways. It was a fortress, a small palace, but more than any of that it had once been a home. "We're on Nyssa's island."

"Your ex had her own island?" Kendra asked her friend with a soft smile she hoped was reassuring.

"Kind of." Sara answered. "Ra's owned it, and only he and his most trusted knew its location. This is where Nyssa was born, where she was raised until she was eight, where she'd been her happiest until Ra's felt she was old enough to join him in Nanda Parbat."

"That's another strike against your ex." Snart said coolly.

Sara glared at him as she said once again, "It's not Nyssa."

"We'll see." He replied.

Sara growled. "Lets go."

As Sara passed her Kendra reached out and took hold of her arm. "You don't have to do this, Sara. We can handle it."

"You barely handled it the last time." Sara snapped a bit more harshly then she normally would have meant too. "If I hadn't agreed to come back with you Ra's would have killed you all." She pulled out of Kendra's grip. "I know this island, I know the League, come with me or don't, but you should all understand I'm calling the shots."

Before anyone could protest Sara walked out of the room. She headed to her quarters to get ready. Her thoughts were a blurred jumble and her emotions a swinging pendulum waiting to cleave her into pieces. She couldn't set foot off this ship until she got herself together so she used the techniques Nyssa had taught her to clear her mind before assignments. When she walked down the ramp of the ship Sara was far more Ta-er al-Safa than Sara Lance. She had to be; otherwise being on this island again would have overwhelmed her. Nyssa had brought her here, had shared this sacred place with her, and they had been happy for those bliss filled few weeks.

The whole team would have given them away instantly. Sarah would have preferred to go alone or maybe with one other person, but as it stood she had Kendra and Snart with her. When they were close enough to the compound to get a good look Sara held up a fist to single them all to stop and hold. She used a pair of Rip's futuristic binoculars to have a look around.

Everything from the armor they wore, to the weapons they held, to the way they moved told Sara the guards were League of Assassins. So they could confirm that at least. Someone had resurrected the League. Now they just needed to find out who had done it. Who had undone the noblest thing Nyssa had ever done, who had made a mockery of her sacrifice? Because that had been what it was. Without Sara in her life giving up the title of Ra's al Ghul had meant Nyssa had given up or lost everything she'd ever wanted in life, and she'd done it because it was the right thing to do.

Sara moved the team to another position to get another look at the compound before they retreated back to the ship. From her knew vantage point she could see a familiar courtyard. She and Nyssa had spent many sunny afternoons picking fruit off the bushes and vines as they talked or in-between doing other things. The courtyard was private for the most part. Sara was currently high up and had tech that hadn't been invented yet which made seeing it easy. She was just about to look away, it felt wrong to intrude on that space, but then she caught movement. Someone was coming out of the house.

Vandal Savage was there. He was on Nyssa's island! Sara would feel her anger and some of her blood lust boiling to the surface. How dare he! He was walking beside someone but she couldn't see who it was. They wore robes similar to the robes Ra's wore and they had a hood up that concealed their face. The robes made it hard to get a read on body shape and the size of the hood made it hard to tell height. It could be anyone under those robes. She wanted to see more. She needed to see more. Her training kicked in however and she realized they were taking a risk by having Kendra close by. If Savage sensed her presence they would loose their element of surprise. So they retreated back to the ship to come up with a plan.

Down in the courtyard of the house Amina Raatko and her small daughter once called home Vandal Savage reached up to cup the face hidden beneath the hood of the robe worn by the Head of the Demon. "Together you and I will bring this world to its knees." He said, his charm oozing off him like heat off blacktop in the summer. He drops to one knee and takes a delicate hand into his own. He looks up into the eyes shadowed within the hood. "And you shall have your vengeance my dear." He turned to look up into the forested hills and smiled. "I promise."

He bows his head and kisses the fire scared ring of Ra's al Ghul. "Cross me Vandal Savage," Said a woman's voice. "And you will be the one brought to his knees. My blood has ended immortal men before. Do not make the mistake of thinking immortal means invulnerable."

Vandal stood and smiled. "A woman after my own heart." He reached into the hood once again and brought the hidden face close to his own and kissed the woman who had just threatened his immortal life.

The kiss lasted only a few moments before Savage is pushed away. "Take the men I have given you and go. You have kept this part of our bargain." She turns to look up where Savage had just looked and then returned her gaze to him. "Once I have been satisfied I will keep mine."

"As you wish." Savage said with a bow. "Until next time my dear."


	2. Chapter 2

There was a bit of debate over what their next step was. On one said there was the idea that they should find out who this new Ra's al Ghul was and then go back and prevent them from resurrecting the League of Assassins. The other side of the argument pointed out that this was the moment in time Gideon had said was the best moment to weaken Savage so whatever they were going to do needed to be done now and not in the past. Then of course there was Snart and Rory who said lets just kill it.

Whatever they decided, the first thing they had to do was find out who Ra's al Ghul really was. So they worked out a plan to sneak into the compound to find out. Ray and Rip would enter through an underground passage used to bring goods and supplies in from the harbor. Sara and Snart would slip in using an old escape passage Sara knew about. The rest of the team would be on standby in case things went south.

The Assassin and the Thief had no trouble getting in. The passage led them right into the heart of the house and by the looks of it no one knew it was there, not even this new Ra's al Ghul, which meant it couldn't be Nyssa. Nyssa would have never left even a supposedly unknown vulnerability unchecked. This did not convince Snart however. He was still trying to get Sara to accept the possibility.

"You realize," Sara said in a whisper as they hid behind a dark corner. "She would be in her fifties."

"Do you plan on being less badass when you're in your fifties?" Snart whispered back. "I don't."

"Why are you so hell bent on me believing this new Ra's is Nyssa?" Sara asked before they moved further down the hall and into another dark blind spot.

Snart didn't answer. Instead he asked, "Why are you so hell bent on believing it's not?"

Sara didn't answer though it was written all over her face. She loved Nyssa. A part of her always would even if she didn't know what or who the future held in store for her. Sara had lost her taste for the work the League did and that's why she left. She'd never lost how she felt for Nyssa. "Come on." She finally growled at Snart. "This way."

They made their way to where the private bedrooms were. There were very few guards since it was midday so it was easy to go unseen. Snart made quick work of the lock on the master bedroom door and the pair slipped inside. There had to be something, some clue, something personal that would tell them who they were dealing with. The room was almost as Sara had remembered it. It was a bit updated but still within the theme of the house. The array of weapons on the walls were new but not really surprising. Bows and swords were standard fair for the League. Sara was drawn to a display of arrows on one of the walls. They weren't a matching set. The fletching on the arrows were all different, some were green, some were all red, and some were black and red. Sara reached for one of the black and red arrows when Snart called out to her.

"You need to see this." He said from across the room. He was standing in front of the fireplace. As Sara came closer he moved so she could see what he'd found.

On the mantel was a framed picture of Sara and Nyssa each holding two little grey kittens. Sara didn't remember ever taking a picture like this. She would have remembered being as happy as she looked in the picture. They both looked happy in a way Sara hadn't even been. Was this a moment in time that hadn't happened yet? God she hoped so.

"Still don't think it's her?" Snart asked.

On the other side of the compound Rip and Ray were making a telling discovery of their own. Rip crouched in front of a stone marker, his hand tracing the ancient Arabic letters, while Ray stood behind him.

"What does it say?" Ray asked.

Rip bowed his head while quipping, "No Arabic in that genius brain of yours Doctor Palmer?"

"I was going to get around to it." Ray said, his voice laced with a bit of shame as if he should have known how to read this ancient language still used by this ancient order of killers.

"It says, 'Beloved in life. Beloved in death.'" Rip said as he stood.

"That's what Nyssa called Sara." Ray said softly. "Nyssa is Ra's al Ghul. We need to find Sara."

"That is going to be a problem." Rip said as he began to slowly raise his arms.

Ray looked confused. "Why?" He watched as Rip began to turn slowly with his hands up so he turned as well. There were six black clad masked guards pointing arrows at them. "Oh, that's why."

Stepping out into the hallway Sara knew right away that something was wrong. She held her hand out to stop Snart and then shot him a glare to keep him quiet. Sure enough moments later the hallway was flooded with the sound of boots on marble floors.

Sara quickly pulled out her bo staff while Snart drew his cold gun.

Sara stood ready to fight. When the first of the League guards came around the corner she took a step back to plant her feet and raised her staff. She was expecting an immediate attack but the hooded masked man hesitated when he saw her. She could tell by the crinkles at the corner of his eyes that he was older and that there was a flicker of recognition and confusion. He had been with the League before. He knew she was Ta-er al-Safar.

The moment passed to quickly and the guards that came after him were young and unknowing. They attacked and Sara found herself in the fight she was expecting. Sort of. The guards fought well but they did not fight like members of her League of Assassins. These were not men and women trained by Ra's or Nyssa or even Talia. Despite being outnumbered she and Snart managed to take down this wave of attackers, though the old man put up a worthy fight, he was still an old man and Sara was fresh out of her League training refresher course.

"We have to find Rip and Ray." She said to Snart as they ran down one of the long open hallways.

"Do we have to?" Snart replied before stopping and blasting a pair of charging Leaguers with his cold gun. "I have a feeling this is all their fault."

"You can snark at them about it later." Sara replied as she swung her bo staff into the back of the head of another attacker.

Back on the ship the rest of the team was starting to realize that something had gone wrong. They came up with a quick rescue plan; Kendra and Firestorm would fly in and engage while Rory landed the jump ship in one of the courtyards for a quick evac. They also decided to go with the plan B they'd all talked about. If they had the chance to they would grab Ra's al Ghul.

Of course their plan Bs didn't work out any better than their plan As most of the time. They were really a team that did better flying by the seats of their pants, making it up as they went along, and relying on pure chance as much as they relayed on their skills and tech.

The team managed to hold their own against the archers and melee fighters. Sara and Snart managed to make it to the courtyard where they'd seen the flashes of fire that let them know Jax, Stein, and Rory had arrived. What none of them were prepared for were the elite guards, the personal bodyguards slash servants of this new Ra's al Ghul. There were four of them all dressed in black leather, all of them women, all of them sporting a collar Sara didn't recognize until it was too late. The sonic screams came from all around them since the women had taken up positions in all four corners. Sara, Snart and Rory went to their knees as they clutched their ears while Kendra and Firestorm fell from the sky. One of the women, a rather vicious looking redhead closed in on Firestorm, focusing the force of her sonic scream on him until Jax and Stein separated. That's when the normal guards moved in, capturing the team.

Their weapons were taken, their hands were bound behind them, and they were forced inside by arrow and sword point. Along the way Rip and Ray were shoved into the line as they were forced further into the house. They were brought to the largest room of the house, the one that had once been a dining hall, and was now clearly more of a throne room. When Sara was first pushed through the door she could see the hooded figure she'd seen in the binoculars standing near the massive fireplace. Even this close the robes concealed anything that would give her a clue as to who this was. Sara would know Nyssa's body instantly, the curve of her hips, the perfection of her posture, the sway of her movements, but she couldn't read any of that because of the robes and hood.

As they were brought close Ra's al Ghul began to turn. The eight of them were lined up in front of Ra's and the guards began to force them to their knees in various forceful ways. "You will kneel before Ra's al Ghul!"

From the moment they had been brought in Ra's had been looking Sara. When she finally spoke it was in perfect ancient Arabic and it was aimed at the guards trying to force Sara to her knees. "Fools! Do you not see who she is? Do you not recognize Ta-er al-Safar?"

The guards surrounding Sara stopped manhandling her and took half a step back from her. She looked at the hooded woman, looked her right in her concealed eyes, and said, "Who the hell are you?"

The hooded woman smiled though no one saw it. "I am Ra's al Ghul. I am the Demon's Head."

"The hell you are." Sara said as she took a step forward but she was stopped by her guards, though not as roughly as they would have moments ago. "You're not Nyssa al Ghul. She was the last rightful Ra's al Ghul."

Ra's took several steps towards Sara as she raised her arms towards the hood of her robe. As she pulled the hood back she said, "No, I am not Nyssa al Ghul."

The woman was young. Sara would guess mid twenties. Her hair was long and black, braided and pinned to her head in a style Sara herself had worn in her past. Her skin was a warm fawn color, she wasn't pale but it wasn't quite a natural tan either. Her cheekbones were high; her chin had a slight cleft. Sara's heart skipped and sputtered in her chest. The young woman favored Nyssa; there was no doubt in that, but not completely.

Her jaw was a bit squarer, and her nose a bit more pointed, but it was her eyes that were the most startling difference. Her eyes were a painfully familiar shade of pale blue.

Ra's read it in Sara's eyes, the realization of who she must be, and it made her smile. She once again spoke in Arabic. "Hello Mom."

Sara's eyes went wide and she gasped softly. The shock hit her hard but it only lasted a moment. But in that moment Ra's had moved on. She had made her way to where Rip was kneeling on the hard marble floor.

"You don't look very impressive to me, Gareeb." Ra's said as she looked down at the man.

Rip looked up at her. "I keep my impressiveness under the coat."

"Was that meant to be an amusing hero quip?" Ra's asked in a condescending way. "I've heard better."

"I'll try harder next time." Rip replied as he watched the young woman move on. He looked between her and a still stunned Sara. He had understood what Ra's said. He knew she had called Sara mom. He also knew the word she spoke next and it made him whip his head in the other direction to see who she was talking too.

"Dalali!" Ra's hissed at Ray before striking him hard enough topple him over and draw blood.

Betrayer. The word flashed in Sara's mind as she lunged and yelled, "Leave him alone!"

Anger, rage, pain, all flashed in the young woman's eyes as she looked over at Sara. Their gazes locked for several long seconds before Ra's looked away. She moved from Ray to Kendra. She looked the woman over and even reached out to caress her face. "You are beautiful. I can see why he is obsessed with you."

Kendra jerked away from Ra's touch.

Ra's chuckled and then moved over to Snart. She looked him over as well and then turned to look at one of her Canaries, the redhead. "He is kin to you Dhahabi. What shall I do with him?"

"Do as you wish." The one Ra's called Golden answered. "My mother's brother is of no concern to me. If he is allied with the Betrayer than he should share in the Betrayer's fate."

"All of your mother's bite and none of your father's comparison, my friend, but at least you have his skill and talent for gadgets." Ra's said with a chuckle as she began walking back towards the fireplace. She looked into the fire for a moment before turning to face everyone. "Take Ta-er al-Safar and al Tadhia to a guest room but keep them under guard at all times." She paused for a moment and then looked at one of the four women with the sonic device collars. "One of you must remain with them at all times."

Ra's paused for a moment to think and then continued, "The rest chain in separate cells. Keep the old man and the boy far apart, never allow them to touch." Her heated gaze landed on Ray as the guards forced everyone up in preparation of moving them along. "In three days time al Dalali will die until then chain him to the wall for all to see."

Ray's eyes went wide and his heart alternated between stopping and pounding. "What? Why? What do you think I did?"

"I don't think you did anything!" Ra's yelled as she charged towards him. "I know what you did! I was there I saw you!"

"I haven't done anything!" Ray replied.

"You will." Ra's hissed.

"What? What will I do?" Ray begged.

Fire blazed in Ra's eyes as she said, "You murder them."

Again Ray's heart did that stop and pound thing as he pales and goes weak in the knees. "I wouldn't… I would never… Who? Who do you think I…"

"So many." Ra's hissed. "So many dead, so much blood on your hands, but none more precious than that of my mothers. The Betrayer of Heroes, the murderer of Nyssa al Ghul and Sara Lance, you will die by my hand, you will die for every life you took from me, each death more painful than the last." She stepped back from him and ordered. "Get them out of my sight!"


	3. Chapter 3

Sara's head was spinning. What kind of future had they stumbled into this time? Apparently one where she and Nyssa had a daughter, or at least Nyssa did. The young woman calling herself Ra's al Ghul looked so much like Nyssa and yet there were hints of someone else. Someone Sara had known almost as well as she'd known Nyssa, at least in a physical kind of way. But this young woman's parentage wasn't what brought them to this time and place; it was the fact that this new Ra's al Ghul was about to ally herself and the League of Assassins with Vandal Savage. The details were still unclear but from what Ra's had said to Ray, Sara had a feeling this was all about what happens to her and Nyssa in Sara's possible future and Ra's painful past.

"Sara." Kendra said again as she tried to get her friend's attention. "Sara what are we going to do? She's going to kill Ray. And what did she call me? al Tadhia? I don't think I like the sound of that." She paused to see if her friend was listening. "Sara!"

"Sorry." Sara said as she shook herself out of her thought. "We're not going to let her kill Ray and you really don't want to know what she called you."

"Yes, I do." Kendra said firmly.

Sara sighed. "The sacrifice."

"Yeah you were right." Kendra replied. "I didn't want to know." She flopped down on the bench in front of the bed in the room they were locked in. "What are we going to do?"

"What we came here to do." Sara said as she moved towards the door. "Find out more information." She began to bang on the door and when it opened to reveal one of Ra's' Canneries she spoke in a commanding tone and in Arabic. "You will take me to see Ra's al Ghul." The woman on the other said was about to protest. Sara knew how the League worked better than this fresh faced kid no matter how skilled she was or what she wore around her neck. "I am Ta-er al-Safar. Beloved to Nyssa al Ghul. Second Mother to she who is Ra's al Ghul. You will take me to her. Now!"

The was conflict in the woman's eyes especially when one of the guards, the older man Sara had seen before, said "Ta-er al-Safar gave you an order, Canary. Your vow to the family al Ghul demands you obey."

"Watch your tongue old man." The woman hissed at him before looking at Sara. "Come Ta-er al-Safar."

Sara was lead through the house to a practice yard. She was stopped just out of sight as the Canary stepped into the sunlight and waited to be acknowledged. Gone were the formal robes of Ra's al Ghul. The young woman, Nyssa's daughter, was now in leggings and a tunic. Her long braid unpinned from her head and free to swag down the line of her spine. She was half an inch, maybe an inch shorter than Nyssa, but she had the same body build. She was going through a complex series of movements with a bo staff with the kind of grace Nyssa had always teased Sara about not having. Sara was just too much of a brawler to have a dancers grace.

"What is it?" Ra's finally said at the end of her series of moves.

"Ta-er al-Safar wishes to speak to you." The Canary said.

Ra's turned to face them. Her gaze going to Sara who defied her guard and stepped towards her. She smiled. "Leave us." There was hesitation on the Canary's part. "Do you dare defy me? I said leave us!"

The Canary bowed her head. "As you command."

For several minutes the two just stood there looking at each other. One wrapping her head about the fact that the other existed, while the other dealt with seeing someone she had mourned and missed for so long. It was Ra's who spoke first. "You're so young."

"I'm older than I look." Sara replied with just a hint of a smirk.

Ra's nodded. "It hasn't been very long since your use of the Pit."

Sara didn't want to talk about the pit. "You look like your mother."

"Mostly." Ra's replied with a nod of acknowledgement.

"Your father…" Sara began but was cut off.

"Is irrelevant." Ra's said. The two began to circle each other. She still had a practice bow in her hand. When Sara reached for one she didn't stop her. "I was raised by my mothers. He had his family, another wife, and children with her. We had our life and he had his."

They continued to circle each other but also to move in closer and closer. "Nyssa and I, we raised you together?"

"Yes." Ra's answered as their staffs clacked together.

For several seconds the only sound was the clack of the staffs. Sara couldn't stop herself. She smiled. "I have a daughter."

Clack. "Yes." Ra's smiled a mirrored smile. She bore physical traits of her biological parents but she had a lot of Sara's mannerisms. "Or you will have. I'm a surprise, a shock, to you. You have yet to meet me."

"Nyssa didn't say anything before I left." Sara replied. "Maybe she didn't even know at the time." Thinking about what Gibeon had said about Nyssa and Oliver, Sara realized there had been a lot she wasn't told when she'd come back.

Ra's movements became more aggressive as she said, "And then you were abducted by Gareeb."

"I wasn't abducted." Sara replied as she matched the more aggressive strikes. "I went willingly." That caused Ra's to put even more into her attacks. They were close to actually fighting rather than sparing. "But I was there for you, I was there, we were a family, so I obviously came back."

"You did." Ra's said. "But you still missed out on things, important things."

"Like what?" Sara asked, pushing the young woman.

"Mother needed you." Ra's said as she swung her staff at Sara's head. "She needed you on her side, she needed your protection, your support, but you weren't there!"

That hurt. Rip said he would bring them back to the very moment they'd left. It would seem his timing would be off. "I'm sorry, Ra…" She stopped. She raised her staff to block a blow from above and looked into the young woman's eyes. "What's your name?"

"Ra's al Ghul." The young woman growled as she tried another hard blow towards Sara's head.

Sara blocked and stopped holding back. She stopped defending and went on the offensive. Her blows came fast and with force. "That isn't your name! What is your name?"

"I am Ra's al Ghul!" Ra's said as she defended against Sara's attacks. "I am the Granddaughter of the Demon! I am the Daughter of his Heirs! I am the Demon's Head!"

"No!" Sara said sharply. "What is the name your mother gave you?" She hooked her foot behind Ra's and pressed forward with her strikes, sending the young woman to the floor. She straddled her, pressing the staff down to pin her. She looked into those bright pale blue eyes. Her father's eyes. "What name did Nyssa give you? She wouldn't have given you that title! She wouldn't have bound you to that life the way her father had! What is your name?"

Ra's struggled. Yes, this was a younger version of her mother, one that didn't even know her yet, but she was still the woman she loved and adored and wanted to grow up to be. The daughter could not fight her mother's demand. "Laurel." She whispered.

"What?" Sara replied with wide eyes.

The young woman turned to match her gaze again. "My name is Laurel Amina Raatko Lance."

The dungeon cells on this island compound were a little better than those of Nanda Parbat but only slightly. They knew they had to get out of there. Like Sara, Rip knew what Ra's had called Kendra and since they knew Ra's had dealings with Savage he had a pretty good idea who they would be sacrificing her too. He also wasn't very keen on having Ray executed.

"Fine mess you've gotten us into this time, Rip." Snart called out from his cell. His snide remark accompanied by the rattle of chains as he pulled at them.

A deep growl came from Rory's cell as he too pulled at the chains that kept him attached to the wall.

"We gotta get out of this man." Jax added in. "That Ra's chick is gonna kill Ray."

"I don't think her plans for Kendra are much better." Stein responded.

Rip sighed and then said, "I'm open to suggestions gentlemen."

There was a long moment of silence and then Snart's voice rang out. "Guard! Guard!" He continued calling out until one of the hooded, masked, assassins came in. "I wanna talk to the redhead." Snart demanded. "The one who said I was her mother's brother."

"Dhahabi." The guard said.

"Yeah, that one." Snart replied. "Tell Delharry her uncle Leonard wants to talk."

It had been so long since Ra's, since Laurel, had said her real name out loud that it had shaken her. She'd ordered her Canary to take Sara back to her room and then retreated somewhere no one was allowed to follow. Well, almost no one.

The first time Laurel Amina Lance met Frankie (Francesca) Leia Ramon they were both little girls. Her mothers had taken her to Central City to see her grandmother and while they were there Sara had run into some old friends. Frankie had been Laurel's first friend, her best friend, and to this day she was at her side.

"His presence here brought them right to you." Frankie said as she walked over to the woman standing by the effervescent green pool of water. "Just like he said it would."

"It did." Laurel replied.

"You have Ray Palmer." Frankie continued. "You can do as you wish and make him pay for what he did, he will answer for the all the lives he took."

Laurel turned her gaze from the water to her friend. "He will; I promise, and not only for the ones he took from me."

"Is it worth it, Ra's?" Frankie asked. "Is it truly worth what you must give him in return?"

"It's a small price to pay." Laurel answered as she turned away from Frankie.

Frankie shook her head. "The price is to high, Laurel."

Hearing someone else speak her true name pushed a button for Laurel and she snapped at Frankie. "I will execute the man responsible for the deaths of my mothers and the Queens, your parents, and the other heroes and then I fulfill my part of the arrangement with Vandal Savage. I will hear no more about it, Dhahabi. You are dismissed."

"Laurel…"

Laurel struck out, hitting Frankie hard across the face. "Leave me!"

Frankie rubbed her cheek and then bowed. "As you command Ra's al Ghul."

Shortly after emerging from the passage that lead to the secret underground cavern a guard approached and told Frankie of Snart's request. She considered not going but as she reached up to rub the pain from her cheek she decided to hear him out. When she had first agreed to help Laurel revive the League of Assassins, when she helped her reclaim the ring and title of Ra's al Ghul she had been in just as pain as her friend. But was this moment of vengeance truly worth allowing her best friend, the only person she had left to love and be loved by, to be lost to that monster?

Kendra hadn't been sure what to say to Sara when she returned. There were a lot of conflicting emotions playing out in her friend's eyes. Just when she thought she had one pinned down another one would push it out of the way. So she gave Sara time to sort things out for herself before finally speaking up. She watched as Sara held a candle sideways, letting the wax drip into clumps on the table surface. "What happened?"

"I died, then I left and things went to shit." Sara answered. Once the clumps of wax were the right size Sara began rolling them with her thumb and then between her fingers.

Ok, that wasn't helpful. Kendra tried again. "What are you doing?"

Sara didn't reply right away but after a moment or two she handed two balls of wax to Kendra. "Put those in your ears."

Kendra blinked. "Why?"

"We're getting out of here." Sara answered. "And that means getting past those fake ass canary wannabes."

"Then what?" Kendra asked as she put one ball of wax in one of her ears.

"Then we get our team and my kid and we go back to the ship." Sara answered.

"Then what?" Kendra asked again.

Sara sighed. "I haven't decided yet but honestly after what I've seen I'm seriously starting to think my kid needs a good spanking."

With candle wax in their ears, Sara wielding a curtain rod as a bo staff, and Kendra holding tight to two candle sticks the ladies of the Waverider took their chance. Sara called out to the guards and when the door opened Kendra cracked the man over the head with her candlestick.

She watched from the shadows for a moment. He was younger than the man she knew but he was still very familiar to her somehow. Deep down she knew he had no idea he was friends with a monster, despite what she'd said before. Stepping into the light and up to the bars of Snart's cell Frankie said, "I believed you." She waited for him to look at her. "I believed the stories you would tell me about your adventures and about the good men and women on your team. You were wrong, Uncle, so very wrong. At least about one of them."

She didn't give him a chance to talk because she knew if she did she wouldn't get another chance. "I was fifteen, L… Ra's was eighteen, when the OMacs came. They were machines designed, built, and launched by Ray Palmer. They went around the world looking for heroes, anti-heroes, meta-humans, anyone with powers or skills they used to do what was right. The OMacs had one purpose; to kill. Coast City, Hub City, Ivy Town, Detroit, Gotham, Metropolis, St. Roch, National City, Kahndaq, Nanda Parbat, London, they were all hit by Pamler's murder machines. But Star City and Central City, those were personal, those he went to himself."

This wasn't way he'd asked to see the girl but Snart found himself unable to stop her from talking. Face to face with her he could see Lisa in her features and it was throwing him off guard. Lisa had always worried about having kids because she'd never wanted to be like their old man. Apparently she'd gotten over it.

"He went after Felicity Queen first." Frankie continued. "But she wasn't in Star City. When the attacks began the fighters went out to slow the machines down while the brains worked on taking them down from the inside. Felicity was at Star Labs working with my Dad, Harry and Aunt Caitlin. One by one the heroes of Star City fell. He didn't even spare Speedy and he was just a teenage boy. Then he came to Central City once the Green Arrow was dead. Dad and the others were so close to shutting it all down but we still lost Uncle Barry, Wally, Mom."

Snart pulled on his chains, not to try escaping but because he wanted to go to her.

"Nyssa hid us in the vault." Frankie said. "We'd seen him take out Oliver and his son, they weren't going to take a chance with us, but she's an al Ghul, she's a Lance, she couldn't just hide. It was too late, everyone was dead, everyone but her mothers and Felicity. Nyssa and Sara gave Felicity just enough time to upload the virus that would bring the OMacs to an end, but his suit wasn't apart of that network. He killed them, she saw it, and when he left the only thing she had left was ash and me."

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Snart finally asked. It was just as hard to see pain in this girl's eyes, as it was to see it in Lisa's.

Frankie laughed. "I honestly don't know. What I do know is Vandal Savage promised to bring Ray Palmer to her door step and he has and now she has to keep up her end of their deal." There was a struggle inside Frankie that played out in her eyes. "I can't let her do that."

"She has to give him the League of Assassins." Snart said.

"No." Frankie replied. "She has to give him herself. She's going to marry him."

"Like hell she is." Sara called out from where she stood swords in hand.


	4. Chapter 4

It took some convincing. Sara had to talk fast and get to the point, but she managed to convince Frankie to help them help Laurel. She loved Nyssa, she explained to the redhead. And when she looked at Laurel she could see Nyssa in her. She could see that she was apart of her beloved and that was why she wanted to help, why she needed to help. She knew how easily her future self would fall for the girl, and that even though she hadn't yet meet Laurel in her timeline that didn't change her instinctual need to protect her.

Frankie must have seen Sara's sincerity because she released her teammates and friends, and she even agreed to take them to Ray Palmer.

The wall was a jagged stone wall that separated the compound from a deadly drop off a cliff and into the sea. There was a trench built just in front of it and there were a series of chains attached to it in various places along its length. The shackles and chains would have suspended a person over the trench with their arms above their head. A person chained to the wall would have been opened to the elements, the salty sea air and the harsh sun. As if all of that wasn't bad enough the trench it's self just added insult to injury.

Jax made a noise of disgust as he crinkled his nose. "What's that smell?"

Kendra had put her hand under her own nose and then carefully leaned over to look into the trench. "Is that…"

"A latrine." Sara said with a nod.

Rory barked out a laugh. "She hung him over the john! I think I like this girl."

Sara glared at him. "Mick, you stay the hell away from my kid." Then she looked over at Frankie. "Where is he? You said this is where Ray would be."

"I don't know." Frankie answered. "I saw them chain him here myself."

Snart went over to one of the guards they'd had to subdue to get to the wall. He stood over him and pointed his cold gun at him. "Where'd they take our friend?"

The man spoke in Arabic and his words made Frankie flinch though only Sara noticed. She moved closer to the younger woman and said, "You haven't betrayed her. You're saving her from Savage and from herself."

Frankie was having doubts about that. Was she truly doing the right thing? Yes, Vandal Savage was a dangerous man and she would do anything to keep Laurel safe, but was it right to keep her from this moment? "Vengeance is justice."

"What?" Sara said with a hint of shock in her voice. Hearing that old phrase felt like a slap to the face.

"She read it in a scroll when we were in Nanda Parbat." Frankie replied. "She's clung to that as a mantra ever since."

Vengeance is justice. The phrase from her grandfather's papers came roaring into Laurel's mind as Ray Palmer was drug into the room and shoved to his knees before her. Most would have called it a trophy room but the things that lined these walls weren't trophies they were reminders. There was the lightening bolt symbol from Barry's Flash uniform, John Diggle's helmet, Cisco Ramon's glasses, a tattered red and gold S, Oliver Queen's hood, and so many others.

"Do you recognize this, Dalali?" Laurel asked the man as one of her guards forced his head up so he could see to what she was referring. She was standing beside a faceless humanoid shaped automaton with a single red lens where it's face should be and the Atom symbol on it's chest.

Ray looked at the machine and his heart stopped. "It sort of looks like something I was working on while I was building my suit."

"This is your Observational Metahuman Activity Construct." Laurel said. "Your OMac." She turned to look at the machine before looking back at the man. "More to the point this is the OMac that accompanied you to Star City and then Central City. This is the machine you used to kill your friends. To kill my family."

O.M.A.C was the project he'd used to create his A.T.O.M suit. The thing he was looking at looked nothing like those original blueprints. "I didn't do this. I wouldn't. I'm not the man you think I am."

Laurel was wearing League battle armor that looked a bit like Nyssa's. From a hidden pocket she pulled out the little case that held Ray's suit. She opened it and pulled out the little action figure looking super suit. She set it on the floor and activated it while she spoke, "I saw you standing between two OMacs in the heart of Star Labs, I saw the bodies of people I grew up with, people who were like family to me, littering the floor." When the suit was full size she paused to look at it, to let it bring up all those memories. "I will never forget this suit, that machine, the way it would tailor the way it killed to suit the person it was killing." She turned to look at Ray. "Were you worried someone would resurrect them?" She moved closer to him. "Is that why the only thing left of my mothers was ash?"

There were tears in Ray's eyes because he felt sorry for this young woman's pain. He couldn't deny that it wasn't real and that it wasn't deep, but he didn't do this and he knew it. "I'm so so sorry." Ray said as he looked into the young woman's eyes. "I've lost loved ones, but that kind of loss, that level of loss, I can't even begin to imagine how much pain you must be in."

Somewhere deep inside, in that little corner of herself that was still Laurel Amina Raatko Lance, the sweet girl who adored her mothers, who loved going to greasy diners with her granddad and picking flowers out of her grandma's garden to make pretty arrangements for the table, the girl who liked spending time with her father and his family, and challenging Barry and Wally to all kinds of races, the girl who remembered what her mothers had taught her about kindness and caring, about doing the right thing for the right reasons, about forgiveness and hope, about being a good person, a hero, knew Ray was sincere. That part of her knew he was heartfelt in his apology and genuine with his sentiments. But that was such a small part of her at this point. The bigger part, the overwhelming pain and anger raged inside as she roared her displeasure.

Reaching behind her she pulled an arrow from the quiver on her back, twisted it in her hand, and then thrusting it into Ray's shoulder. "Where was your sympathy when you were culling the heroes of this world, Dalali! Where were your platitudes when you were murdering mothers, fathers, sisters, and brothers?"

Ray had held in his cry of pain as the arrow pieced his skin and for a split second he wondered if Mick would be impressed. "How can I prove to you that the monster who destroyed your world wasn't me?"

Laurel was walking towards the wall where several bows were mounted. She reached for her mother's, taking it down and turning to face Ray once more. "You can't." She retrieved another arrow from her quiver and notched it. She aimed for Ray's heart. "What you can do Dalali is die."

"Little girl if you draw that sting back you are in so much trouble!" Sara called out from the doorway.

Laurel met her mother's gaze and for several long seconds they stared into each other eyes. If this version of Sara were older, were she the one who truly knew Laurel, she'd have known this moment wasn't uncommon. Laurel had been a good kid but a stubborn one. When Laurel finally looked away she returned her gaze to Ray and drew her bow.

One dagger knocked the arrow free of the bow while the second grazed Laurel's hand making her drop the bow all together. Startled eyes looked up to see that it had been Sara who'd thrown them. Laurel watched as Sara produced a bo staff. She once again roared in anger and without thinking she drew her sword from the sheath at her side.

The two women who would become mother and daughter engaged each other while the rest of Sara's team dealt with her two League guards and getting Ray.

"How could you!" Laurel yelled at the blonde. "He will kill you! This is his rightful justice!"

"This isn't justice." Sara replied as she blocked Laurel's strikes. It was evident that Laurel had been trained. Nyssa had probably started early with the basics, but having good training can only take you so far against someone with the same training and a hell of lot more experience. "This is rage and anger." She added as she knocked the sword from Laurel's hand. Laurel didn't give up the fight easily. Even unarmed she continued to fight as hard as she could. She was running on emotion, on all that pain and anger. Sara had no choice but to knock her out cold. With Laurel on the floor Sara knelt beside her and brushed at her hair. "You're better than this. I know you are."

Getting back to the Waverider wasn't easy but it wasn't the first time the team was outnumbered and still managed to get away. Luckily for them Laurel's League wasn't quite the force it's predecessor was. Once they were on the ship Ray was taking to the med-bay while Laurel was put in the brig.

Sara stood outside the unbreakable see through cube that was the Waverider's holding cell watching, waiting for Laurel to wake up. She found herself once again facing the fact that life was going on without her back in 2016. What was Nyssa doing right now? What where they all doing right now? "Do you know why Nyssa named her Laurel?"

Frankie turned to look at the blonde. "She was named after her aunt."

"Yeah, I know that, Laurel is my sister." Sara replied.

"The Black Canary was an important figure to all of her parents." Frankie said.

Before Sara could ask any more questions, like why Frankie was using the past tense, the doors slid open to reveal Rip. "Sara, a word please."

Out in the corridor Rip handed Sara a data pad. "Gideon and I were able to find some information that may help the saturation." He paused as Sara looked over the info and then continued to explain. "In 2016 Palmer Technologies was hacked by a man named Noah Kuttler, also know as the Calculator in the hacking world. Your Ms. Smoke was able to shut the hack down quickly but the Calculator was still able to make off with a small cluster of data. In that data…"

"The plans for the Ray's OMac project." Sara said.

Rip nodded. "He later auctioned it off to the highest bidder. I think your young Miss al Gaul would find the buyer of great interest."

Her dreams were full of memories. Running through the compound trying to find her Mom as they played hide and seek, the songs her Mother would sing as she brushed her hair, pretending to be focused on her cat but really watching her mothers together and feeling safe and loved because she knew how much they loved each other. For a split second before she was fully aware that she was regaining consciousness Laurel felt that feeling again for the first time in a very long time. Then the emptiness and anger came crashing back and she moaned as she forced her body to move and shift. The air around her didn't feel right and the light on the other side of her eyelids was too bright and unnatural. Where was she?

Then she remembered. Frankie had betrayed her. Her heart broke. She was so close to finally having vengeance and it was ripped away from her by two women she had trusted and loved. Laurel's moans turned into growls of rage.

"Are you always this grouchy when you wake up?" Sara asked.

Laurel's head was pounding from the blow she took so when she raised her head and opened her eyes to look towards the voice it was a bit slower than she'd have liked. Sara was sitting on the floor with her back against the far wall on the other side of what looked like a glass wall. Laurel took a second to look around her prison before returning her heated gaze back to Sara. "Only when someone hits me in the head."

"I didn't hit you in the head." Sara replied easily. "I used a pressure point to knock you out. How are you feeling? Headache? It'll fade in a little bit."

"You've rescued your murderer." Laurel said, choosing to ignore the concern in Sara's tone. "Why have you brought me here?"

"You needed a time out and some space away from your friends." Sara answered. "You need to listen and that wasn't going to happen while you were play Ra's."

Laurel growled again as she shifted into a sitting position. "I am not playing anything. I am Ra's al Gual."

"You're a little girl in pain." Sara replied. "You've lost everyone your love. You're whole world crumbled. You have a right to hurt and to be angry, Laurel. But you're aiming that anger at the wrong person."

Sara stood and walked over to the door of the cell. She pressed her palm to the lock and the door opened. Stepping inside she held out the data pad Rip had given her. "I'm assuming your mother and I made sure you had the best education?"

"Of course you did." Laurel said as she stood up as well. Her body tensed in preparation for another fight. She glared at the pad and then up at Sara.

"Read this." Sara told the young woman.

Laurel narrowed her eyes. "Propaganda? I don't think so."

"Historical evidence." Sara countered. "You're a smart kid you'll know it's on the up and up."

Laurel refused to take the pad for several seconds but every fiber of her being was telling her this woman was her mom and she instinctually reacted to her as such. It really wasn't fair. She took the pad but still refused to read it.

Sara decided to give the girl time. Given who her parents were Sara knew the girl was bound to be stubborn as hell. She left the cell, locking it behind her, and made her way towards the door. She stopped just short of walking through it when Laurel spoke up.

"Were you here the whole time I was out?" Laurel asked.

"You're my kid aren't you?" Sara asked and Laurel gave a slight nod. "Then of course I was."

Her memories flashed back to a time when she was little and sick. Her mother was out of the country helping someone on a mission, which left her and her Mom at home. She'd had a pretty bad fever and slept for almost two whole days. When she woke up Sara had been sitting by her bed in the same clothes as when she'd put Laurel to bed. "Mommy, were you here the whole time?"

Sara had smiled as she used a damp cloth to wipe away the sweat on her face. "You're my kid, kid. Of course I was here with you the whole time."

Laurel closed her eyes and tried to push the memories away. Her mothers had raised her to be good, to be a hero, and a part of her, deep down where she'd shoved it and covered it in her anger and pain, knew she wasn't being who she'd been raised to be. She actively refused to read the information her mom had brought her, pacing the cell, and kicking at the walls the way she did as a teenager grounded to her room, but she eventually gave in. Picking up the pad Laurel sat on the floor and began to read.

Sara walked into the med-bay to check on Ray and was relieved to see that he was awake and on the mend. She smiled an apologetic smile at him as she approached. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be alright." Ray reassured. "How's Laurel?"

"Angry." Sara said honestly. "Conflicted. Stubborn."

Ray smirked. "Her mother's daughter."

Sara snorted. "Poor kid. What was Nyssa thinking letting me have access to a child?"

"You're going to be a great mother." Ray told her. "This is only a possible future, remember. Now that we know about the things that happen here we can change them. She doesn't have to loose anyone."

"She stabbed you with an arrow and hung you over a toilet." Sara said as she looked at her kind-hearted friend. "And you're defending her?"

"I know that kind of hurt." Ray said with a shrug. "That kind of loss. It changes you. Besides, Nyssa was, well, Nyssa was scary to be honest, but you and Ollie, you're my friends. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't care about how your daughter was doing?"

"Ollie?" Sara questioned. Apparently she wasn't the only one who'd made that leap.

Ray nodded. "I can see him in her. Besides, he is Nyssa's husband."

"Yea, I really need to ask about that when we get back." Sara said with a huff. "I might have to kick Ollie's ass."

If this were all true then she'd been a bigger fool than she could have ever expected. If this were true she had allowed herself to be played and manipulated, and no one played or manipulated Ra's al Gaul. When the outer door opened Laurel was expecting her mom but it wasn't Sara. She stood and glared and said, "You betrayed me."

"For your own good." Frankie said as she stood there with a tray of food. "Vandal Savage…"

"Will pay for what he's done." Laurel cut in. She softened as she stepped closer to the glass.

Frankie was surprised and it showed. "You believe what they are saying about him?"

"I am skeptical of the twin brother part of this but I think I do." Laurel admitted. "Though I am not sure way."

"Your mothers never lied to you, Laurel." Frankie replied.

Laurel grumbled. "She isn't my mother. Not yet at least."

"Could have fooled me." Frankie said with a smirk. "You react to her the way you always have."

"Shut up." Laurel grumbled.

Frankie smiled. It was good to see even the smallest glimmer of her old friend was still in there somewhere. She set the tray where Prof. Stein had told her too and watched as it moved into the cell. For a moment she allowed herself to think about her father and how much he'd love this ship and all this tech. "So what happens now?"

Laurel sighed softly as she picked up the cup with water in it. "I don't know." She admitted. "But I think I must start by talking to my Mom and her people and perhaps even listening to what they have to say."

"And what of Ray Palmer?" Frankie asked.

"He is safe." Laurel answered. "For now."


	5. Chapter 5

Growing up Laurel had heard stories of her mom's adventures. Sara would tell her fantastical stories about being aboard a ship that could travel through space and time. Laurel hadn't always been sure the tall tales were true. She had often teased her mom that her stories sounded like they were off a tv show, but she loved them none the less. What little girl wouldn't love thinking her mom was a badass superhero out there saving the world and kicking ass. Walking through the Waverider now seemed surreal to her. This was the setting for so many of her mom's stories and to see it up close and personal was pretty cool and a little weird. It was like walking through Hogwarts or more appropriately the TARDIS.

When Sara returned to the holding cell Laurel was more open to talking and listening. Sara told her how they had been tracking Savage through time trying to stop him. Laurel listened. Sara reassured her that she would change things. That she would go back and make sure Laurel won't have to watch those she loved killed, because stopping Savage would mean there wouldn't be a need to get the heroes out of the way. Laurel wasn't sure her mom could do that. That's when Sara mentioned that they had already visited a future where Oliver was still alive. It wasn't the mention of her father that sparked a little flicker of hope in Laurel it was the mention of his successor.

"Did you say Hawke?" Laurel questioned.

Sara had nodded. "He was using the name Conner Hawke but Ollie called him John Diggle Jr."

Laurel had gasped softly. "Johnny was alive?" She let out a soft sad little chuckle. "He was the Green Arrow?"

Sara nodded again. "You had Diggle jr in your life?"

The look on Laurel's face said more than the young woman ever could in words. "Everyone use to tease us from the time we were small." She said softly. "Mother called us the little Hawk and the little Carney."

Laurel remembered meeting Noah Kuttler once. It was just after the birth of Oliver and Felicity's son. The strange man had shown up to see his daughter and new grandchild and it seemed to upset Facility a bit, but mostly Laurel remembered how it made Facility's mother even more squirrelly than normal. The adults around her didn't trust him, they were all on guard around him, and she had senesced that. Laurel had never understood why but now perhaps she did. Did Facility know what he'd done? Did she know he had the tech she would later die trying to stop? Did Noah Kuttler ever know he'd made a profit off his daughter's and grandchildren's deaths? If he was still out there somewhere Laurel would make damn sure he knew.

It made sense. If Savage wanted to take over the world he would need to get rid of the heroes. He couldn't rule the world if there were super powered aliens, metahumans, and people like her parents around. Laurel understood that men like Savage never got their own hands dirty. They had other people do the work for them. Men like Kuttler and apparently Sydney Palmer. If things went wrong those people would take the fall leaving Savage to continue his efforts.

They were all standing on the bridge of the ship when Sara, Laurel and Frankie entered. Laurel was willing to talk, to listen, but she was still feeling conflicted. Turning to her mother she once again asked, "You swear that what you showed me is real?"

Sara nodded. "I promise, kid. Everything we've found is the truth."

Laurel sighed softly. It was written on her face that she was still having trouble with this. Her memories and her emotions were telling her one thing, but this new information was telling her something else. Her instincts were telling her to trust Sara. Her anger, her pain, the emptiness she'd felt since that night, the emptiness that had become as close to her as a friend or a lover, was telling her to finish what she started. Vengeance was justice. But would it truly be justice if she extracted that vengeance on the wrong man?

"You are still unsure?" Rip asked.

"I know what I saw that night." Laurel told him. "I know who I saw." She glanced over at Ray before returning her gaze to Sara. "Now you're telling me that I've had it all wrong all this time. It's a lot to swallow."

"Do you trust me?" Sara asked. She could see the conflict in the girl's eyes. The battle between her natural instinct to trust the woman who would be her mother, and everything she thinks she knows and believes.

"I'm trying too." Laurel said honestly.

Sara nodded her understanding then she decided to show Laurel rather than keep telling her. Laurel's pain had driven her to Nanda Parbat and what she'd found there, the teachings of Ra's al Ghul, had become a shroud Laurel could hide in. Lost and alone she'd lived the life of the League as a way to regain control of her shattered world. Sara would use that. She moved so she stood in front of her girl and then dropped to one knee. "I, Ta-er al-Safar, Beloved to Nyssa al Ghul, Second Mother to Laurel Amina Raatko Lance, acknowledge and accept that you are Ra's al Ghul."

"You're pledging yourself to me?" Laurel asked, her eyes wide. She was surprised and it showed.

"I am." Sara answered. "To show you that you can trust me."

Laurel nodded. "Thank you." She reached for her mother's hand to help her stand. She knew Sara didn't like her being Ra's. She knew this because deep down she knew both of her mothers would have hated it. To have Sara affirm her title meant her mom really wanted to show her that she could believe in her. "Is there a way for me to communicate with my people from here?"

Rip nodded. "Of course."

Using the computer Rip gave her access to she let the compound know she was safe, and that she was with her mother of her own free will. "When I return I will send word to the those who have gone with Savage. I will recall all but those he does not know watch him."

"You're having him watched?" Ray asked.

Laurel snorted softly. "I am my parents child. I do not trust easily." She paused for a moment before adding. "He will no be pleased when he realizes I am backing out of our agreement."

"He doesn't get his little army of assassins." Snart said with a shrug. "He'll get over it."

Laurel shook her head. "It wasn't just my League that Savage wanted." She paused a moment to look over at Frankie and then at her mother. Then she admitted, "Far more than the League he wanted my bloodline."

"Your bloodline?" Stein questioned.

"My grandfather used his Lazarus Pit for centuries." Laurel explained. "He not only bathed wounds in the waters, he ingested the waters. The pit wasn't just a mystical magical hot tub. It was a perfect storm of magic and nature, and his prolonged use of it changed him, in many ways, including the physical. It produced traits he would pass on to his daughters, traits his daughters would pass on to their children."

"You're immortal?" Ray asked.

"Doubtful." Laurel answered. "My mother wasn't." The pain and anger in her voice came out clear as crystal. She might believe Sara was right about Ray not being the man she'd seen that night but she'd believed he was for a long time and those feelings weren't just going to fade away in an instant. "My Aunt Talia and her son were not. But I am not as vulnerable as a normal person would be."

"You're metahuman?" Stein asked.

Laurel thought about it for a moment and shrugged. "I suppose if you wanted to label it, yes."

"Ok, so what you're saying is that Savage wants to have a child with the granddaughter of Ra's al Ghul?" Rip asked.

Laurel nodded. "I was to marry him and give him a legitimate hair in exchange for Mr. Palmer's life."

"Well, I'm not dead so you don't have to marry him now." Ray said in that annoyingly positive way of his.

"He still delivered you to me." Laurel replied. "He kept his end of the deal. My inability to follow through will not nullify the agreement in his eyes. He will come for me."

Sara moved closer to her future daughter. She took up a protective stance as she said, "He isn't getting anywhere near you."

Laurel smiled. It was Nyssa's smile. "You can't stay here and protect me."

"The hell I can't!" Sara huffed.

"You have a mission." Laurel replied. "You need to go. Unless you are prepared to finish Savage here and now, that mission isn't complete."

"She's right, Sara." Rip said. "We don't have the means just yet."

"You said Gideon brought you here because the League made Savage stronger." Laurel said as she looked into her mother's eyes. "You came to weaken him, not stop him, not yet. He won't have my League to back him, I promise."

"But you…" Sara began.

"Won't be alone." Frankie cut in as she moved to take Sara's place as Laurel's protector.

"I don't like this." Sara huffed.

"I know." Laurel said. "I didn't much like being knocked out and kidnapped but it turns out it was the best for me."

Sara insisted on taking Laurel back to the compound. She didn't like leaving but she trusted Laurel to keep her word about keeping the League out of Savage's hands. So technically they'd completed the mission and it was time to go. "Are you sure you're going to be ok?"

"I will be." Laurel said. "Because you're going to make sure of it."

Sara smiled for a moment and then said, "That's not what I meant."

"I know." Laurel replied. Sara walked over and hugged her and Laurel nearly cried. She missed the feeling of being wrapped in her mothers' embrace. When Sara let her go and stepped back Laurel grabbed her hand. "I miss you."

"You won't have to for much longer." Sara replied. "However this all works out we'll see each other again soon, I promise."

Laurel nodded. She believed Sara.

But it wouldn't happen the way either of them thought.


	6. Chapter 6

They hadn't been able to stop him in the past, but they managed to put some kinks in Vandal Savage's armor. Rip felt they had no other choice. They had to take Savage on in Rip's present. They would have to take him down at the height of his power. Sara wasn't sure about this plan. If they were able to stop Savage it wouldn't change any of the things he'd done in their time. Rip was in this to save his family, and now after seeing what she'd seen and meeting who she'd meet, so was Sara. Stopping Savage in 2166 wasn't going to help those back in 2016. But it was Rip's call so Sara put on her Carney uniform as the Waverider touched down in London 2166. Then she made her way to the bridge to meet up with Rip and the others. This wasn't something they could do on their own. Savage was too big, too powerful here and now. Rip insisted they would have help.

Just as Sara arrived on the bridge Gideon reported movement outside the ship. "They are members of the Resistance, Captain."

"Ahh, good." Rip said with a pleased clap of his hands and that smirk of his. "The Calvary has arrived."

The leader of the scout party that greeted Rip and Sara when they walked off the ship didn't seem surprised by them, but she did seem a little unsettled. Sara read her closely. It was like they'd been expecting them and the woman was startled by the fact that they were actually there.

"We'll take a few of you to our camp." The young woman, Sharon, said firmly to Rip. "Bring who you want but the blonde is a must."

Rip looked at her and Sara shrugged with a teasing smile. "What can I say? The ladies like me."

After gathering Ray, Jax and Stein to go along with them the team was driven to the Rebellion camp, which turned out to be more of a refugee camp than a base full of freedom fighters. Sara had seen it all before in war torn countries. The ones who always suffer the most are the ones who got caught in the middle, women, children, the disabled, and the elderly. These people have lost everything, and the help they were getting now simply wasn't enough.

Sharon had told them to wait while she went to see if the Rebel leader was ready to meet with them. As they waited Sara watched as people dressed in basic thrown together battle clothes did their best to hand out what little food and comfort they had. It wasn't enough. She knew it and so did her friends. Ray, Jax and Stein weren't like her or Rip, they weren't use to scenes like this.

"Come." Sharon called out. "The Commander will see you."

As they made their way to the main structure of the camp Sara noticed something. A symbol, a bird in flight, it made her smile. It wasn't uncommon to see a bird used as a symbol of freedom. The symbol was largest on the door flap of the not quite a tent not quite a building they were ushered into. Sara assumed the symbol belonged to the rebellion as a whole, and in a way it did, but it's true meaning was a far more personal one.

"Commander." Sharon said as they walked into a room with a large table in the center, a desk towards the back, maps and papers littered everywhere. Someone stood near the desk, bent over peering at something. "The travelers."

The figure stood. It was a woman, tall, her hair shoulder-length and black. She wore dark fatigues; combat boots, and wore weapons of the time on her hips. When she turned around and smiled the Waverider crew gasped. Sara's heart thumped in her chest.

"Thank you Sharon." The woman said with a warm smile. "That will be all." She waited until the woman left and then looked at the others and smiled a little wider as she leaned back against the edge of the desk. Her gaze fell on Sara as she spoke. "Hi Mom. It's been awhile."

It took several seconds for Sara's brain to catch up. Laurel was older than she was when they left her on Nyssa's island, but it was most certainly Laurel. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Um, leading a rebellion?" Laurel replied.

"It's 2166." Sara said as she began to close the distance between herself and the child Nyssa was currently pregnant with back in 2016.

"Yes, it is." Laurel replied.

"We left you in 2041." Sara said. They were close enough to touch so Sara reached up to cup Laurel's face. "How are you here?"

Laurel leaned into her mother's touch, her eyes closing for just a moment as she let the warmth of Sara's hand push away the cold of London's war torn night. Opening her eyes she looked into Sara's and answered, "I am the granddaughter of Ra's al Ghul, how do you think I'm still here?"

"That's not possible." Sara said as she removed her hand from Laurel's face so she could place both hands on her own hips. "Your mother destroyed the pit after I was resurrected."

"Mother destroyed a pit." Laurel replied.

Sara couldn't hide the surprise on her face even if she wanted too. For as long as she could remember she'd been told there was only one Lazerus Pit. The idea of there being more was not just surprising but frightening.

"I'll explain everything later." Laurel said to Sara with a warm smile. Then she side stepped her mother and headed towards the rest of the team who were still gawking at her. "You lot sure did take you sweet ass time getting here." She sighed softly. "I was hoping you never would. No luck stopping him in the past?"

"Not for a lack of trying." Rip answered.

"Same here." Laurel said. "It's been a long war and there's no end in sight."

"After we left you in 2041 Gideon said you'd staked claim to your inheritance." Rip said as he watched Laurel move around the large table with a battle map spread out on it.

Laurel nodded. "As my father's only surviving heir his assets were mine to claim. I used Queen Industries and Smoak Technologies to fight Savage monetarily and technologically. I used the League of Shadows to fight him physically."

"The League of Shadows?" Stein questioned.

"We became more than just assassins." Laurel explained. "We became more than the ancient order my grandfather lead. So I changed the name."

Sara stepped up to stand beside her daughter. "I like it."

"So you've spent the last 125 years fighting Vandal Savage?" Ray asked.

Laurel nodded. "Someone had to have boots on the ground while you lot hopped around through history." She glanced over at her desk and then looked at the table and moved a few pieces around to reflect the latest news. "I'm hoping that since you're here now you finally have a solid game plan?"

Before anyone could admit that there really wasn't a plan Sharon returned. She apologized for interrupting but then reported, "Savage is addressing his troops tonight."

"He does love to hear himself speak." Laurel replied. "I suppose we should hear what he has to say since his little pep talk it about coming after us. Find us something fitting to wear? Our new allies will be joining us this evening."

Sharon nodded. "Yes, of course Commander Lance."

"Commander Lance." Sara said proudly. "So much better than what you use to go by."

Laurel laughed. "You know technically I am still Ra's al Ghul."

Before they could start talking about anything else Stein cut in. "Miss Lance, the people out there."

"Most of them are refugees, Dr. Stein." Laurel confirmed. "More and more make their way here everyday. I send teams to hit supply lines and rob storehouses. We scavenge and forage but it's never enough."

"Perhaps we can help." Stein said softly. He saw the sorrow in the young woman's eyes, the anger no doubt aimed at herself for not being able to do more. "The Waverider has resources."

Rip was about to protest, they weren't here for that, but he was cut off. "We'll handle that while you guys check out what Savage has to say." Ray said warmly.

Laurel smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you. Come, I'll introduce you to the man in charge of rations and supplies. He won't deal with you if I don't."

As they walked through the camp Sara watched how the people responded to Laurel and she couldn't remember ever feeling such pride. Long gone was the pain and anger filled child she'd meet on Nyssa's island. This Laurel was the woman she had known she could be. How was that possible, Sara wondered. The fact that Laurel was here, 125 years since the last time they'd seen each other, meant she had used a Lazarus Pit. Sara couldn't help it, she was looking for the crazy, for the bloodlust, for the demons the pit left in a person. But she wasn't seeing it, what she saw was a compassionate woman who knelt in the dirt when a child ran up to greet her.

"Hello Liam." Laurel greeted the boy. "Are you feeling better today?"

The boy nodded.

The woman with him had such a look of gratitude on her face as she said, "The medicine you got us saved his life. Thank you, and God bless you, Canary."

Laurel blushed. "You don't have to thank me, Bridget, but you're welcome." Then she turned her attention to the boy. She smiled brightly at him as she pulled a chocolate bar from one of the pockets of her cargo pants. "Do you think you feel well enough for this?" The boy's eyes went wide and bright. His little head bobbed up and down comically and Laurel chuckled as she handed it over. "Be a good lad and share it with your Mam, ok?"

The boy threw his arms around Laurel's neck. "Thank you Canary."

After watching Liam and his mother walk off Sara stepped up beside Laurel. "I think I like the sound of them calling you Canary even more."

"It wasn't my idea." Laurel admitted. "You and Aunt Laurel were the canaries and I could never live up to that, not with everything I tried to do, I corrupted that name with my screamers, but I guess the canary has meaning here. The first group of refugees we rescued started calling me that after seeing my tattoo and it's kind of stuck."

Sara looked around at what Laurel was trying to do and then looked at the other woman and said, "You're making up for your past just like I am, and you're helping those who can't help themselves just like Laurel did. The name fits." Then she smiled. "But just so you know I'm calling you little Canary."

"You know I'm bigger than you are." Laurel said with a laugh.

"Don't tease your mother about her height or you're grounded." Sara replied.

After setting Ray, Jax and Stein up with her quartermaster Laurel took Sara back to her quarters while Rip went back to the ship to get Snart and Rory. Now that they were alone Sara wanted to know details.

"The pit in Nanda Parbat was the first to be discovered according to Grandfather's papers." Laurel explained after making them what passed for tea. "There were two others. One was in Brazil, in the heart of the mountain where the palace Aunt Talia was born in is. She had control over it for awhile until her ex destroyed it." Laurel paused a moment to let Sara take that in. Then she continued, "The third was under the island"

"Nyssa's island?" Sara asked, surprised. She'd spent time on that island. How did she not know there was a pit? Had Nyssa known?

Laurel nodded. "Grandfather was keeping more than just his daughters safe. He was protecting something far more precious to him then Mother or Aunt Talia ever were."

"Are there any more?" Sara asked.

"Not that I've found." Laurel answered.

Sara sighed softly. "Well at least there's that." As grateful as she was now for her second chance Sara still felt that the pits were too much power, to dangerous. The pits had created Ra's and the men before him, madmen, dangerous men. It took pieces of people; it stole their souls, and left demons behind. "How did you use it and not come out…"

"Batshit crazy?" Laurel said, cutting her mother off. She was quiet for a moment as she sorted out her feelings and thought through her words. "I knew that Savage would come for me. I knew he would take what he wanted from me. I had to be ready for whatever happened. So I went looking for Oliver's friend, the one who helped save you."

"John Constantine." Sara said.

Laurel nodded. "He wasn't easy to find and he keeps some pretty weird company, but I manage it." She stood up as she undid the buttons on her shirt and then turned around as she dropped her shirt over her shoulders. On her back at what would be the Heart chakra point was a tattoo. It was an intricate tattoo of three birds whose wings formed a trefoil knot. "He and a friend cast a spell and bound it using the tattoo. It allowed me to use the pit safely three times." She put her shirt back on and sat beside her mother once more. "The first time I used it Aunt Laurel was there to protect my soul." Her smile was sad. "It had been the first time I'd ever met her. She was so beautiful, so strong and sweet. I wish I'd known her in life."

Sara had wondered about her sister and why Nyssa would name her daughter after Laurel. This confirmed what she had feared most. Her big sister dies. Just something else she would have to go back and fix.

"The second time it was Mother." Laurel said. "She kind of stuck around for a bit because I needed her. She helped me get through a really hard time." Laurel had tensed up at the memories and then stood and walked across the room. She refilled her cup even though it was barely empty. She just really needed to get away from those memories. When she returned to Sara's side she said, "The third time, it was you. Savage had taken something very precious to me. The most precious thing I have ever had in my life. Then he left me for dead. I needed you to help me come back strong enough to fight him, and I have, I have fought him every moment of my life since trying to get back what he took from me."

There was pain in Laurel's eyes. Pain that Sara wanted to understand so she could help make it go away. But before she could get the answers she wanted Sharon arrived with the clothes they would wear to blend in. They changed and meet up with the others. Sara knew she should have been focusing on Savage, on her surroundings, but she found herself watching Laurel. What wasn't she saying? What had happened to her in those 125 years? And what had Vandal Savage taken from her that was so important Laurel was leading a war against him?

While Sara's focus was on Laurel, Laurel's was on the blonde standing beside Savage. Of course everyone's focus was shifted when the fight broke out. Of course a fight broke out. Rip was hell bent on grabbing Savage; her mother suddenly seemed very interested in the bracelet Cassandra wore, and Laurel had her own agenda. Nothing went to plan, not that they had had a plan, and before anyone got what they wanted they were aboard what Rip had called a jumpship. Shortly after that Laurel found herself aboard the Waverider once more.

Aboard the ship the team began to plan while Laurel listened. Her mind was elsewhere until Stein brought her back to the moment by asking her a question.

"The woman, who is she?" Stein asked.

"Her name is Cassandra." Laurel answered. "She's Vandal's right-hand, his second in command."

"Ok, so all we need to do is get Kendra's bracelet off the femme fatale." Snart sneered. "Easy."

Laurel snorted. "Hardly."

"If Kendra's ugly jewelry can kill Savage I say we take it by any means necessary." Rory added to the conversation.

Before Kendra could retort Rip was agreeing and Laurel had slammed her hand on the table. Rory's words had set off something dangerous in her eyes. "If any of you harm one hair on her head, I don't care who your friends with, I will slit your throats."

Everyone was staring at her but it was Sara who spoke before someone, namely Rory, could say something stupid and start another fight. "Laurel. What aren't you telling me?" She moved closer to her daughter, putting her hand on stop of the one on the table, which Laurel had balled into a fist. "When we were talking earlier. You were very careful with your words. You were trying to tell me something without really telling me something. Then you said Savage took something from you. Laurel, please, talk to me now."

Laurel struggled but Sara still had an effect on her. Looking into her mother's eyes and feeling her touch, she couldn't fight that. "Cassandra's my daughter."

It hit Sara like a slap to the face. Not the news that Laurel had a daughter but the blanks her mind was filling in. "Is Savage…"

"Yes." Laurel admitted.

"You slept with Savage?" Snart blurted out.

Before she could stop herself Laurel replied, "Not willingly."

The pain in Sara's chest was a thousand times worse than taking three arrows to the heart and being resurrected. She reached up and held Laurel's face in her hands and for several moments just looked into her eyes. Ollie's eyes, Nyssa's smile, her smart mouth. This was her kid and someone had… Sara let Laurel go turned on her heel and began to storm from the room.

"Sara, where are you going?" Kendra asked.

"To fucking kill Vandal Savage!" Sara replied.

"Mom!" Laurel called out. Sara stopped and turned to look at her. "You can't, you know you can't. They're right we need that bracelet." She turned to look at Snart. "So Autolycus how charming of a thief are you really?"

"I'll think about doing what you say on one condition." Snart replied.

Laurel smiled. "She never left my side, but she did marry, she had children, and she died an old woman in her bed. Her great grandsons, Leo and Ramon, lead two of my best Shadow teams. One in Central City and one in Star."

Snart nodded. "So you want me to seduce your daughter?"

"I want you to help me kidnap her." Laurel said with a roll of her eyes. "Touch her and I'll kill you."

It took a lot for Laurel to stay behind but her mom was right. She was of more use to them helping from the ship. So she just had to have faith that Sara, Snart and Rory could follow the plan. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest as she helped them get into the compound. Was this finally it? After fourteen long years was she finally going to get Cassie back? What had Savage done to her? What had he told her? Did she think Laurel had abandoned her? Did she hate her? She'd been angry with both of her mothers when they'd left her and it hadn't been their fault. She was angry they weren't there. Would Cassie feel the same way?

She was about to find out.

Laurel stood outside the doors of the holding cell. She was honestly surprised that things had gone to plan. Had that been too easy? Probably. She listened as Sara and the boys put Cassandra in the cube cell. She bit back an amused smile. Putting one's daughter into a cell seemed to be bit of a new tradition for the Lance women.

"You don't know what you've done." Cassandra said coolly.

"Sure we do." Snart replied. "We kidnapped Vandal Savage's daughter."

She didn't show it but that surprised Cassandra. "So you do know who I am."

"Yeap, and you seem to know who we are." Snart replied. "We're all so well informed."

"My father will come for me." Cassandra told them. "He will kill you all." She turned her attention towards Sara. "Even you, Sara Lance, or should I call you grandmother?"

"Oh that was even more freaky than hearing someone call me mom." Sara said, her nose a bit crinkled at the idea of being anyone's grandmother.

"Why do you fight against him?" Cassandra asked Sara. "The stories I've heard painted you a hero, not a rebel. Why do you take the side of the Gareeb over the man who saved the world?"

Sara snorted. "Saved the world? Vandal Savage? Honey, he's trying to conquer it not save it."

"That is untrue." Cassandra replied. "Fourteen years ago the world was ruled by a madman. Per Degaton. He unleashed the Armageddon virus to conquer the globe. It tore through the world like a fire. Millions died, including my mother."

"Is that what he told you, aljanah alssaghir?" Laurel said as she walked into the room. "That I was dead? He really should have known better."

This time the surprise did register on Cassandra's face but only for a moment. It was quickly replaced by rage. "What kind of trick is this!" She looked between the woman who looked and sounded like her mother and Sara. "How dare you! You would disgrace the memory of your own daughter?"

"No one is disgracing anyone's memory, aljanah alssaghir." Laurel told the girl as she stepped up to the glass.

"Do not call me little wing." Cassandra hissed. "Only my mother called me that, only she had that right!"

"I am your mother, Cassie." Laurel said. "Vandal left me for dead when he took you from me but he should have known it's no easy task to kill an al Ghul, it's even harder when she's a Lance as well."

Cassandra shook her head and stepped back from the glass. "My mother was killed by the virus."

"The virus made me sick, yes." Laurel agreed. "But it would have been the knife wound to the gut that would have killed me if not for an old family secret." She pressed her hand against the glass as she said, "Vandal found us during the chaos his virus caused. I was weaken by the virus but not dead, he took you from me, took you right out my arms. He ordered his guard to kill me and as soon as I was out of your sight he ran me through. I should have died, I would have, if I hadn't had the water from the Lazarus Pit."

Cassandra's breath hitched. "The jar of water in the box."

Laurel nodded. "I know how you're feeling right now, Cassie. I've been there. I've struggled with knowing the truth after believing in something else so wholeheartedly. It wasn't Per Degaton that released the virus, it was Vandal, and it's he who wants to conquer the world."

"He's saving it." Cassandra repeated.

"He's crushing it, little wing." Laurel said. "Let me show you."

Before Cassandra could respond the ship shook because the ground it was resting on shook. "What the hell was that?" Sara asked.

"Leviathan." Cassandra answered. "My father is coming."

They didn't have much time but Laurel used every second of what they did have to prove to her daughter that Vandal had been lying to her and he had been the one who'd separated them. She used Gideon to show her news clips and recordings from when the Waverider had been there. She showed her the surviving refugees. Yes, she led the freedom fighters, the rebels, because she was protecting the innocent lives Vandal would crush on his rise to power. Much to her surprise Snart helped to convince Cassandra, and as the truth sank in and her little girl's heart broke, so did Laurel's. To see her daughter hurt like that was a pain unlike any other.

"You told me my mother died from the Armageddon virus but that wasn't true." Cassandra said as she looked into her father's eyes. "She was still alive when you took me from our home. You ordered her killed."

"She was as good as dead." Vandal said as his grip on her tightened. "It was a mercy."

"It was a good try." Laurel said as she stepped out of the dark. "But seriously, Vandal, you wanted me because of who my grandfather was. Did you really think it would be that easy to kill me?"

There was an amused sneer on his face as he looked over to see her. "So it is you. I had always wondered. You are the Rebel Canary."

"As if you had any doubt." Laurel replied. She drew her bowstring and snarled. "Now get your damn hand off my daughter."

"I'd listen to her Savage." Sara spoke up as she appeared. "We Lance women don't take kindly to having are kids hurt."

Cassandra used the moment of distraction to free herself from her father's grasp. She took a step back and lunged.

They fought him together, the White Canary, the Rebel Canary, and her Little Wing.

Though they could not kill him the three women showed Vandal Savage that there was no force on earth as powerful as a Lance who's been hurt, whose angry, and whose protecting her child or her mother. Savage was barely staying on his feet when Kendra swooped in. It was almost over.

Then Laurel spotted the guard who had tried to kill her on Savage's order and engaged him in a fight. She knocked his helmet off and was about to kill him when Kendra screamed. Rather then delivering the killing blow to Savage Kendra stopped Laurel from killing Carter.

Savage wasn't dead but he was captured. Locked up safe and sound aboard the Waverider. Sara stood just outside the ship with Laurel and Cassandra. "What will you do now?"

"What I've been doing." Laurel replied. "Helping those who need help."

"We'll undo what my father has done." Cassandra added.

Sara couldn't be prouder. She hugged them both even though it was awkward and uncomfortable for Cassandra and then started back towards the ship.

"Mom, wait." Laurel called out. She walked over and took Sara's hand. "Frankie made me watch enough time travel sci-fi to know this is a bad idea but I can't not do this. Sometimes with huge threats like Savage it's easy to over look other ones." She paused a moment and then said, "My father will never be able to do what needs to be done when it comes to Malcolm Merlyn. Just, keep that in mind, ok?"

It was really odd to hear Merlyn's name out of the blue like that but Sara nodded. She knew a warning when she heard one. "I will, kid. I promise."

Laurel smiled. "See you soon?"

"I hope so." Sara replied. "I can't wait to meet you."

Laurel laughed. "We have a very weird life."

Sara laughed as she hugged Laurel one last time. "Yap, this is our life now."


	7. Chapter 7

They defeated Vandal Savage. They ended him and his rein of terror three times over. After everything they'd been through to stop him every member of her team had a right to kill Savage, but some had more rights than others. Kendra and Carter for hundreds of years of death and torment. Rip for the loss of his wife Miranda and his son Jonah. And herself because of what Savage did to, would do, to her daughter and granddaughter. Killing had never been easy for Sara. She'd been an assassin with a conscious, which is what had driven her away from her home and the woman she loved, but killing Savage had been different. The sound his neck made as she broke it, the thud of his body hitting the cold wet ground, had been satisfying in an almost frightening way.

Rip had offered them a chance to continue on with him. His new mission was to protect the timeline now that the Time Masters were disabled, and there was the possible threat of the Thanagarians, but Sara decided to refuse. She told Rip that if he ever truly needed her help again to come find her, but for now she had more important things to take care of. He understood, and as thanks for everything she'd done he took her to the time and place of her choosing.

It was a little reckless sneaking up on Talibah but Sara knew that the woman was loyal to Nyssa and that if Nyssa had any plans for her escape, which Sara also knew wasn't an if, Talibah would be involved. It took a little convincing on Sara's part. Even though she was the Beloved and that gave her a certain amount of power, Talibah hadn't really forgiven her for hurting Nyssa when she left the first time. Sara had to convince the loyal assassin that she wanted to spend the rest of her life making it up to Nyssa. Something in her words must have rung true because Talibah finally gave in and agreed to Sara's plan.

Nyssa sat in meditation. She had a lot to think about. Getting out of her imprisonment and retaking the League from the Usurper were pretty high up on her list of things occupying her thoughts, but they weren't at the top of the list. At the top was Sara because she was never far from Nyssa's thoughts. As painful as it had been telling Sara to leave her past behind and move on with her future, it had been the right thing to do, she knew that. Still, her heart, her very soul, ached for her Beloved. The other thing that took up most of her thoughts was the unexpected repercussion of her forced marriage to Oliver Queen.

Her father had invoked antiquated traditions in his manipulation of the situation. Not only had her father's Priestess over seen their wedding but she also confirmed the consummation of the marriage. The old witch had watched through a ceremonial screen as she and Oliver had sex. Awkward, uncomfortable, unsatisfying sex, that left them both feeling as if they had betrayed their hearts and tarnished their souls. If Sara ever found out what would she think of her? Nyssa couldn't bear to think about it because she feared the hurt and anger she assumed would be in her Beloved's eyes.

If they had not had sex that night, if they had not consummated their marriage, her father would have killed them both. Though the act was not what either of them wanted it was begrudgingly consensual, though she questioned how many people would believe that, which is why she and Oliver agreed to never speak of it again. Of course that would now be harder than they'd expected. Their single night together had a consequence. Nyssa was pregnant.

She would need to make her move soon. She could not hide the truth of her condition for much longer and it pained her to think about what the Usurper would do if he learned the truth. This child was the true Heir and yet another threat to his stolen role as Ra's al Ghul. She just had to be patient a little a longer for Talibah's signal.

The sound of clashing swords and bodies hitting stone was not the signal Nyssa was expecting. Opening her eyes she looked towards the door of her cell. She could see the flicker of movement, shadows cast by the torchlight. She rose to her feet gracefully and prepared herself as best she could for the unknown. The fight outside her door didn't last long and after a brief but painful moment of silence the door swung open. A hooded assassin stepped into the room with sword drawn. Nyssa's heart pounded in her chest and it was only her years of training and discipline that kept her from intrinsically putting her hand over her stomach to protect the child.

She watched as the assassin reached up with the hand not holding the sword. Time slowed, Nyssa's body tensed as she prepared for a fight. The assassin pulled away the hood and veil and Nyssa's heart stopped, her lungs held in the gasp of air she'd just taken. She could not believe what she saw, who she saw, standing before her. "Beloved."

Sara smiled and it lit up the room. She walked over to the very surprised love of her life and said, "The last time I was here you didn't kiss me."

Was this a dream? Had she been in meditation to long and now she was having visions of her beloved? Visions did not radiate body heat nor smell of leather, sweat, and something that Nyssa could only describe as home. "What?" She finally said as she reached for Sara's face.

"You didn't kiss me." Sara repeated. "Don't get me wrong, you being all noble was really sweet, and the hug was nice and I've dreamt about the way you touched me." She raised her free hand to keep Nyssa's hand on her cheek. "But you really should have kissed me."

"Forgive my oversight, Beloved." Nyssa said as she slowly drew Sara closer and kissed her. The kiss was different but Nyssa could not explain how. It was good though, whatever this difference was, it was very good.

"Much better." Sara said at the end of the kiss. She pressed her forehead to Nyssa's and closed her eyes. She knew she missed Nyssa while she was away she just didn't know how much until this moment.

"Forgive me." Talibah said from the doorway. "But the others have engaged the Usurper loyalists. We must go."

"Are you ready to get the hell out of here and make Malcolm Merlyn pay for everything he's done?" Sara asked as she looked into Nyssa's eyes.

"Sara?" Nyssa questioned. She had told Sara to go, to leave her past and Nyssa behind so she could be happy in her future.

"We'll talk later." Sara promised. "We'll talk about everything, all of it, I promise." The blonde said as she held Nyssa's hand. "But let's get out of here first, ok?"

Nyssa nodded. She kissed Sara again and then took the offered sword that her Beloved held out for her. She would return to Nanda Parbat but not until she was Ra's al Ghul and the Usurper was dead.

They fight their way through the fortress picking up those loyal to Nyssa along the way. A part of her wanted to stay and take back Nanda Parbat but she knew the best way to do that was to reclaim what was her birthright and to that she would have to face Merlyn, and he was currently in Star City. So that's where they would head after making one small pit stop. She was bringing a civil war to Oliver's doorstep, one that her husband would not want. She would have to appease him and she knew the perfect gift to do just that.

On the plane they were given their privacy. For a while neither said a word. So much needed to be said but neither knew where to start. All Nyssa wanted was for Sara to be happy. She had resigned herself to a life without her beloved just for the sole purpose. Yet here she was, fighting, killing, trapped in the middle of a fight that was no longer hers. "I told you to go."

Sara looked away from the window she'd been staring out hoping to find the right words to say to Nyssa on a cloud or something. She met Nyssa's gaze for a long moment before replying. "You did."

"I told you to forget your past, to leave it behind, so you could focus on your future." Nyssa said as Sara moved to sit across from her.

"Yeah, well, see here's the thing." Sara began. "I traveled through time, Nyssa. I saw a lot of things, meet a lot of people, kicked a lot of ass, kissed a nurse and a Snart, and saved the world and time itself from madman, and it all taught me something very important." She took Nyssa's hands in her own and held them tight. "I don't want a future that doesn't have you in it. I don't want a future that doesn't have an us in it. My past made me who I am and I like who I am. All the crap I went through, every bit of it, was worth it and I'd do it all again over and over because it put you in my life."

Sara held her breath as she waited for Nyssa to respond to what she said. "Nyssa? Say something."

"You kissed a nurse? And what is a Snart?" The dark haired woman finally responded. To be honest she was feeling a little overwhelmed and needed time to process so she was using one of Sara's traits against her, she was deflecting with a bit of humor.

"Really?" Sara replied, wide eyed. "I'm trying to tell you how much I love you and want to be with you and you're focused on me kissing a woman who'd be like in her seventies now?"

"And the Snart?" Nyssa asked.

Sara dropped her head and closed her eyes. "He was my friend, and he sacrificed himself to save the rest for us, all of us. I was saying goodbye."

Nyssa reached for Sara's face and tilted it up so she could look into her Beloved's eyes. "It has not been long since you came to me the last time and yet you have grown so much in that time."

"Time is a funny thing." Sara said softly. "Which is why I know I don't wait to waste any more of it." Leaning closer Sara kissed Nyssa. She let her actions say more than her words could.

When the kiss ended Nyssa sighed softly. She rested her forehead against Sara's and sighed a shaky breath. "Oh Beloved, there are things you do not know. Things that could change…"

"I love you, Nyssa." Sara said, cutting her off. "Nothing is going to change that."

Nyssa wanted to believe that. She truly did. "I am Oliver's wife."

"Yeah, I know." Sara replied.

Nyssa blinked. "You know?"

"Ra's forced you to marry Oliver while I was dead." Sara said with a nod. "Oliver, for all the good he's done and will do, has made some really stupid choices lately. Starting and ending with his idiot alliance with Merlyn. We're going to convince Tatsu to give us what we need and we're going to start setting this all right." Her reassuring smile turned into a smirk as she said, "And along the way at some point I'm kicking Ollie's ass. Not because he did the stupidest thing ever by making Merlyn Ra's but because his stupid plan led to him sleeping with the love of my life."

Nyssa's eyes were wide again. "You know that he and I…"

"I know your father." Sara said.

And for now that's all that needed to be said on the subject. Yes there was a lot more to talk about but for now the only thing left to say was for Nyssa to admit, "I love you, Habiti."

Sara bit her lip and closed her eyes. She'd missed the sound of that name on Nyssa's lips.

It wasn't easy. Sara wanted nothing more than to wrap Nyssa up in bubble wrap and keep her safe and out of harm's way, but she knew that Nyssa would have to led, and to act if she were going to claim her birthright as Ra's, and she wanted to give Nyssa the chance to tell her that she was pregnant. So Sara had to stand there and watch as Nyssa fought Tatsu. She sighed inwardly when the Japanese swordswoman gave in and talked to Nyssa, because if that fight had gone on much longer she'd have bitten her way through her own cheek. As Nyssa and Tatsu negotiated Sara stood at Nyssa's right-hand. Ta-er al Safar. Beloved of the Heir. Well, she supposed that would be now be Beloved of the Demon? Whatever her title Sara was at Nyssa's side where she belonged and that's where she would remain.

By the time they land in Star City Talibah reports that Nanda Parbat is secured and held by those loyal to Nyssa and that there is already a contingent of Nyssa's people in the city and that they have established a base.

"I bet it's a warehouse." Sara said as they made their way through the city streets. "It's always a warehouse."

It was a warehouse. Sara didn't even try hiding the know it all smirk on her face. They stayed only long enough to learn where things stood with Merlyn and with Oliver. Then they headed for the lair.

"Oliver you can't be serious!" Laurel said in disbelief. "You can't honestly be considering this!"

"This is a bad idea, man." Diggle added in. "There's no way allying with Darhk won't blow up in your face."

"Thea is dying!" Oliver replied. "What other choice do I have?"

"Quite a good one, dear Husband." Nyssa said with a warm smile.

The group turned to see Nyssa standing there with two League guards, a woman Oliver knew as one of Nyssa's loyal servants, and…

"Sara!" Laurel beamed as she made her way to her baby sister. She hugged her and then Nyssa as well. "I'm glad to see you both." She said brightly. "And I'm really glad to see you together."

"Nyssa." Oliver said as he made his way towards her. "What are you doing here?"

Before Nyssa could respond Sara was advancing on Oliver. She took him by complete surprise when she punched him in the face.

"Ow!" Oliver yelped. "Sara! What the hell?"

"You married my beloved!" Sara yelled at him before striking out with a punch to his gut. "You gave the League of Assassins to Malcolm fucking Merlyn!" No one in the room was really all that surprised. They all knew Sara would be pissed if she ever found out. It was the kick to the groan that had them calling foul and gasping until she spoke again, "And you slept with my woman! You Oliver Jonas Queen are a fucking ass!"

"You had sex with Nyssa?" Felicity asked as she glared at her fiancé as he writhed on the floor.

"In my husband's defense," Nyssa said despite the amused smirk on her lips. "If we had not consummated the marriage my father would have had us both killed."

"You could have lied!" The wheelchair bound blonde said in a huff.

"We could not." Nyssa replied. "The act had to be witnessed."

"That reminds me." Sara spoke up now that she was back at Nyssa's side. "Talibah."

"Yes Ta-er al Safar?" The woman on Nyssa's left side said.

"Add punch Priestess in the face to my list." Sara ordered.

The woman smirked as she nodded. "As you wish, Ta-er al Safar."

"What list?" Laurel asked while trying to keep laughter out of her voice.

Sara smiled. It was good to see her sister again. She held up her hand and began to count on her fingers, "Kick Ollie's ass. Save Thea's life. Fix Ollie's mistakes. Punch Priestess in the face."

Oliver's pride was wounded and he was on the verge of brooding especially when Sara said she was here to fix his mistakes, but something more important held him back. "Save Thea's life? How?"

Nyssa held out her hand and Talibah placed a bottle of something blue in it. "A gift, Husband."

"What is it?" Oliver questioned.

"It is called the Lotus." Nyssa explained. "It will cure Thea of her bloodlust."

"If you had a cure for the pit's effects why were you so set against us bring Sara back?" Laurel asked.

Sara took her sister's hand. "Because I was dead a lot longer than Thea. The Lotus couldn't have helped me, but you did, and that's all that matters."

"Why are you doing this?" Oliver asked as he eyed Nyssa and the bottle skeptically.

"Thea is my sister-in-law is she not?" Nyssa replied. "Must I have a reason to want her to live?"

"Take it, Ollie." Sara said gently. "Thea doesn't have much time."

They left enough of the Lotus to cure Thea with Oliver and left. They both knew that Oliver would do anything to save his sister so they had no doubt he would use it. They did not return to the warehouse but instead to a safe house that Sara had established and Nyssa had kept. Laurel knew her sister was back; it wouldn't be long before Quentin knew. It wouldn't be safe to have Sara's family track her to the warehouse where a large group of assassins were preparing for war. Besides, they still had things to talk about.

"Things are happening pretty fast." Sara said as she took a seat on the beat up old couch beside Nyssa. On their way to the safe house they stopped to get food. Sara pulled out burgers and fries from a brown bag before shoving straws into two milkshakes. "How are you feeling?"

"Anxious." Nyssa admitted. "I do not wish to fight this war here, too many innocent people will be caught in the middle, but I fear we may have no other choice."

"There is always another choice." Sara said as she took Nyssa's hand and laced their fingers together. "We just have to create it."

Nyssa bit her lip and nodded. As she tried to work out her next move she reached for her milkshake, took the top off the cup, reached for a fry and dunked it.

"Oh no!" Sara said with a gasp. "Not you too!"

Nyssa blinked, shaken from her thoughts by Sara's reaction. "What?"

"Who taught you to do that?" Sara asked as she motioned to the milkshake covered fry.

That brought a smile to Nyssa's face. "Laurel."

"I knew it!" Sara protested playfully. "She's corrupted you!"

Nyssa laughed, and just like that she was much more relaxed. "Has she? It's really very good. She introduced me to many new things during our time together." She smiled a soft genuine smile. "Laurel was a very good friend to me when I felt lost and alone. I will always be grateful to her for that."

Which explains why Nyssa had named her daughter after Sara's sister. Knowing that Laurel, her sister Laurel, had been there for Nyssa when she couldn't made Sara even more grateful to have her big sister. "I'm glad you were there for each other." She smirked a little as she added, "But that's still gross."

"It is not." Nyssa protested. "It is really very good."

Sara was amused as well amazed. Not only had Nyssa finished off her burger and fries but most of Sara's as well. She couldn't help but smirk at the other woman as she teased, "Hungry?"

Nyssa blushed. "I apologize, Habiti. I did not mean to eat your meal as well."

"It's no biggie." Sara replied. "I've just never seen you eat that much. Especially American food since most of it is fired in one way or another."

"I suppose I may have developed a taste during my last stay here." Nyssa said, a little sheepishly. She bit her lip for a moment and then added, "I suppose it could also be something else."

"Something else?" Sara questioned.

Nyssa took a deep breath. "I have something I need to tell you, Beloved. Something that may changed things between us."

"What did I tell you?" Sara reassured. "Nothing is going to change how I feel about you, about us."

She hadn't said it aloud yet and it was proving to be harder than she expected. "I am…"

They were interrupted by Nyssa's two guards who hauled Laurel into the room. "We caught her outside. She says she's a friend."

"She is." Nyssa said while biting back a groan and standing. "She is also Ta-er al Safar's sister and will be treated with the respect that potion deserves."

"I would have waited until tomorrow but I thought you'd both like to know Thea's getting better." Laurel said as she closed the distance between herself, her sister, and her friend.

"That's great news." Sara said, her voice laced with relief.

Nyssa nodded her agreement. "That is wonderful news Laurel."

"Good news always comes with bad." Laurel said with a sigh. "Merlyn's seriously pissed."

"That was expected." Nyssa said before turning to Sara. "We must lure him out of the city before things have a chance to escalate." Sara nodded her agreement and then Nyssa looked at Laurel. "You must go, Laurel. The Usurper will be looking for us. It is not safe for you to be close."

Laurel gave Nyssa a look that reminded her a lot of Sara's stubborn you can't tell me what to do look. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Laurel." Nyssa said gently. "This is not your fight."

"The hell it isn't." Laurel replied. "Sara is my baby sister and you are my friend. I'm not going to let Malcolm Merlyn hurt you two any more than he already has."

"And I can not allow a civil war to play out in this city." Nyssa replied. "Innocents will be hurt."

"No one has to get hurt." Laurel said. "Ollie has a plan."

"Oh this should be good." Sara groaned. "Because all of his plans have been such winners so far."

Nyssa reached for Sara's hand to sooth her while asking Laurel, "What is my Husband's plan?"

It was well past midnight when the three groups began to gather on the rooftop of an abandoned building. There were braziers set up in a circle along with assassins loyal to both Nyssa and Merlyn. A rack of weapons had been provided for the combatants to choose from. Team Arrow stood off to the side while Merlyn, dressed in his robes, and Nyssa dressed in her League armor stood at opposite ends of the circle formed by their men.

Sara was dressed not in her White Canary uniform but in her League armor. She stood proudly at Nyssa's side. Her heart was racing. She couldn't stop hearing her daughter's words before she left. She was right. Oliver would never be able to do what needed to be done. Nyssa was pregnant; she and the child she carried would always be a target if he were left to live. She couldn't risk Nyssa and the baby at Merlyn's hands tonight and she couldn't risk Oliver being Oliver either.

"Let us be finished with this charade." Nyssa said as she and Malcolm came face to face.

Nyssa and Merlyn drew their weapons. Out of the corner of her eye Sara saw Oliver's body twitch ever so slightly. She stepped forward. "I claim my right as the Beloved to fight as Nyssa's champion!" She took her place at Nyssa's side. "I also claim my right to face my murderer in combat."

"I have never allowed anyone to fight my battles for me." Nyssa hissed at Sara. "Not even my beloved."

"I do not fight only for you." Sara replied as her eyes flicked quickly from Nyssa's to her stomach and back again. "Let me do this, Habiti."

Only Sara would see the shock play out over Nyssa's face. For several long moments the two stared into each other's eyes as if having a slight conversation. You know. Of course I do. You didn't say. I was waiting on you to tell me. How. I know you. Finally Nyssa related. "Ta-er al Safar will be my champion."

"I have no problem with this." Merlyn said. "It'll save me from having to go through Oliver and his playmates to get to you later on, Ta-er al Safar."

Sara took the sword from Nyssa's hand. She smiled at her and caressed her cheek before turning to face Merlyn. "You will pay for everything you've done, from the Glades to stealing Nyssa's birthright, and everything in between."

"I killed you once." Merlyn replied. "I'll do it again, and this time I'll take pleasure in doing it myself."

Nyssa turned to her men. "Do not let my husband and his ilk interfere."

They nodded and took up positions near Oliver and his team.

With that the fight began. Sara's weapon of choice was a bo staff, its what she was best at, but like every League trained assassin she could use any number of weapons, including a sword. The rooftop filled with the sound of metal clanging against metal as Sara and Merlyn fought. Both of them fought as hard as they could because this was far more than just a fight to the death over power. This was a fight to the death for the things they loved most in the entire world. Yes, for Malcolm Merlyn that was power. But for Sara it was for the woman she loved and the child she would do anything for. What Sara was fighting for was so much more important than what Merlyn was fighting for which is why Sara, tiny little Sara Lance, was able to bring Malcolm Merlyn to his knees.

"Sara!" Oliver yelled out as he was held back. "No!"

Sara fought for love and for a future with Nyssa and a beautiful little girl with her father's eyes, her mother's smile, and the other piece of Sara's heart. That's why when Sara swung her sword it wasn't Malcolm Merlyn's hand that hit the rooftop floor, it was his head.

Crouching down beside Merlyn's lifeless body Sara took the ring from his hand. The tension on the rooftop rolled off everyone in waves like heat off hot asphalt. Oliver was angry. Felicity and Diggle were stunted, as was Laurel but for her at least there was also an odd sense of relief. Then there were the two factions of assassins. Nyssa's had moved quickly to capture those loyal to Merlyn. She would have to decide what to do with them. Sara ignored it all as she walked over to Nyssa. She dropped to one knee and took Nyssa's hand. She slipped the ring on where it belonged and then looked up into Nyssa's eyes. "I Ta-er al Safar kneel before she who is Ra's al Ghul."

After Sara knelt and spoke others followed, Talibah first, the ones always loyal to Nyssa, and a few of Merlin's. Nyssa would take not of those who hesitated and deal with them later. When Sara stood and she and Nyssa turned towards Oliver and the others Sara took a step forward but Oliver held up his hands, looked at her in a way that actually hurt, and then turned and walked away.

"I am sorry, Beloved." Nyssa said softly as she took Sara's hand. "He will come around."

"He will or he won't." Sara replied. "I did what needed to be done to save my family and his a hell of lot pain and suffering." She looked over at her sister and held her gaze. "I will protect the ones I love."


	8. Chapter 8

Sara stepped into the Arrow cave unsurprised to find it deserted. It had been less that a day since she killed Malcolm Merlyn which meant Oliver was at the start of a long brooding session, and his team would be giving him just a little space. Heading towards the back and away from the brightly lit core of Team Arrow's headquarters Sara thought about how well she knew Oliver and knew that he was here somewhere blaming himself for her actions. Poor Oliver, what had he turned her into? Sara rolled her eyes.

"Ollie?" She called out as she stepped into the room where Oliver was. He was sitting at a workbench tinkering with his arrows.

"What are you doing here Sara?" Came Oliver's gowling reply.

Sara stepped further into the room and around the bench so Oliver could see her. "I have something to say and you're going to listen and then I'm leaving to meet Nyssa at the airfield." Reaching out she made Oliver look up from what he was doing. "I did what needed to be done, Oliver. Merlyn was always going to be a threat to the people we love and you showing him mercy would have only lead to bad things."

"You don't know that." Oliver argued.

"I do know." Sara replied. "I've seen possible futures Ollie and in all of them if he's alive he's a threat, and in all of them the first thing he does after you show him mercy and take the League away from him is tell Darhk about William." There was a slight twitch around Oliver's eyes that told Sara that her knowing about his son surprised Oliver. "Darhk would have gone after him, Ollie. Your son was in danger." Oliver was about to speak up but she shook her head. "I'm talking, you're listening. You need to tell Felicity about him, you need to tell her now on your own, before you're forced too, or you're going to lose her, and trust me, if you lose her your life goes to shit."

Oliver spoke quickly before she could stop him again. "Should you be telling me this?"

"Probably not." Sara said with a shrug. "But I'm doing what I feel I have too to protect the people I care about. Which brings me to Laurel." She paused for a moment. Of all the changes to the timeline she was making this was the biggest one. "Keep her away from Darhk, Ollie. I mean it. If you don't he will kill her."

"How am I supposed to do that?" He questioned. "You have met your sister, right? She does what she wants."

Sara smirked at that. Both Lance sisters did what they wanted for better or worse. "Fight smarter when it comes to Darhk. His powers are magical. Ask John Constantine for help."

"John went to Hell." Oliver said with a shake of his head.

"Are you fighting with the mystic who helped you save my soul?" Sara asked.

"No." Oliver said with a shake of his head and a shrug of his shoulders. "He literally went to Hell. He's physically in Hell."

Sara blinked. "Our lives are so weird." She said before continuing. "Ok, well, he can't be the only magical person out there."

"You seem to know everything these days." Oliver said, his broodiness coming through again. "Why don't you just tell me how to defeat him and get it over with."

"I don't know all the details." Sara answered. "I wasn't there when it happened but I am now, and I'm trying to help. I'm trying make things better." She'd made a promise to herself and to the child Nyssa now carried that she would do her damnedest to make things better than what she'd seen in the future. "I need you to trust me, Ollie, just like I'm trusting you. I need to go with Nyssa, I need to help her with the League," and with the baby. "So I'm trusting you to keep Laurel and everyone here safe."

After she was finished with Oliver Sara went to Laurel's apartment. Oliver was a good man and she knew he would try to do what was best, but she was going to hedge her bets. She could hear Rip in the back of her mind telling her she shouldn't be screwing with the timeline but seeing as how they'd just spent all that time trying to save his family she really didn't give a crap about what he thought she should and shouldn't do. She didn't want to turn this into a self fulling prophecy, so she didn't go into details, but she made sure Laurel understood that she needed to be careful when it came to Darhk, but only after Laurel refused to leave with her and Nyssa. When she hugged her sister before leaving she held Laurel a little longer and a little tighter than normal, and that said more to the eldest Lance sister than all of Sara's words.

When Sara finally made it to the airfield the sun was setting and Nyssa was waiting. "How did things go?" Nyssa asked as she Sara came closer.

Sara sighed softly. "I did what I could."

"You could stay." Nyssa replied. "Help Oliver with Darhk, protect Laurel."

"No." Sara said with a shake of her head. "My place is with you." They were alone so Sara didn't hesitate to reach out and place her hand over Nyssa's flat stomach. "Both of you."

Nyssa smiled as she placed her hand over Sara's but the smile faded as she asked, "You are still alright with me not telling Oliver about the child?"

Sara nodded. "Right now you need to focus on rebuilding the League. If Ollie knew you were pregnant with his kid he would try to keep you here."

Nyssa grunted. "He would try but he would fail."

"Yes he would." Sara chuckled. "But why invite that kind of stress? You have enough to deal with."

Nyssa nodded in agreement. Her love for Sara as well as the time she spent with Laurel and the others in Star City had changed Nyssa, it showed her a different way of seeing the world. She wanted to use that to help make the world a better place for her child. She wanted to make the League and her father's legacy into something better for her child. "Come Beloved. We have much work to do and little time to do it in."

"Lead the way, Ra's." Sara said with a smile.

Over the next few months Sara helped Nyssa essentially teardown and rebuild the League of Assassins into what Nyssa was starting to call the League of Shadows. They would no longer only be about killing their enemies, though that would remain an option. It was in no way easy. Change never was. Those who were loyal to Nyssa from the very beginning remained loyal. Some who had doubts needed convincing. And some defected to a leader they felt would continue on in the traditions of old, a leader with just as much claim as Nyssa had since she had the same birthright.

"Talia will be an issue." Nyssa groaned as she set aside an intelligence report she'd been reading. "We will need to prepare for when she strikes."

"That won't be for awhile." Sara replied. "She's building from the ground up just like you are, but without the resources you have."

"Do not underestimate my sister, Habibti." Nyssa scolded as she rubbed her swollen belly.

Sara smirked as she said, "I would never underestimate an al'Ghul." Crouching down she placed her hand over Nyssa's as she added, "Not even little ones who like to kick their mama's in the middle of the night."

"Everyday our child grows stronger." Nyssa said with a huge smile.

There was a knock on the door that cut off Sara's reply. She stood reluctantly and moved to stand at Nyssa's side. Nyssa smiled up at her before turning her attention to the door and calling for whomever was on the other side to come in.

"Forgive the interruption." Talibah said as she stepped into the room.

Nyssa nodded slightly as she said, "What is it Talibah?"

"We have received a message from Star City." Talibah answered.

That had Sara's attention instantly. "What's happened?"

"With the help of the woman called Vixen and the mystic you sent to aide Oliver Queen, Zatanna; Damien Darhk has been defeated." Talibah reported. "The Green Arrow killed him."

Nyssa took hold of Sara's hand as she asked, "And the Black Canary?"

"Ta-er al Safar's sister lives." Talibah said.

Sara had been gripping Nyssa's hand tightly and when Talibah said that Laurel was alive she relaxed that hold. Laurel was alive. Darhk was dead, his plans foiled, and Laurel was alive. Sara was flooded with pure joy. She'd changed the timeline and it had all worked out. Laurel was alive!

"What else, Talibah." Nyssa said when she took notice of the look in her most trusted and loyal friend's eyes.

Sara noticed it now too and her heart stopped.

"There were civilian casualties." Talibah reported. "Among them was Dinah Lance." The woman looked at Sara and said with great sincerity, "I am so sorry, Sara."

Numbness washed over Sara like an icy wave. She couldn't have heard that right. Her mother lived in Central City. She'd just talked to her not long ago. Dinah had been given the chance to study some lost Greek culture of women or something and was really excited about it. Sara had spent the last few weeks practicing what she was going to say when she told her mother about the baby. In the back of her mind she could hear Rip's voice telling her that time would always get what it wanted in whatever way it could. The death of his wife and son could not be changed. Had Sara killed her mother by saving her sister? Was losing someone she loved that unchangeable thing for her?

"Habibti?" Nyssa's voice pulled at Sara. "Beloved?"

Sara blinked which caused the tears that had welled in her eyes to spill down her cheeks. She blinked again and focused on Nyssa's face. They were alone now and she was sitting. Where had Talibah gone? When did she sit down?

"Sara?" Nyssa said as she wiped at the tears on Sara's cheeks.

"I need to go to Star City." Sara finally said.

Nyssa nodded. "We'll leave right away."

Sara shook her head. "You can't. There's still a lot to do here and the baby, everyone will find out."

"Sara." Nyssa began to argue.

But she was quickly cut off when Sara shook her head. "Please Nyssa, stay here where you'll both be safe."

Nyssa sighed. "Very well Beloved."

It didn't feel real. Sara kept replaying every moment with her mother over and over in her head as she made her way to Star City. She thought about how her mother hadn't given up on her, how Dinah had believed Sara to be alive and even tried looking for her. How could she be truly gone? She didn't believe it until Laurel walked into her apartment and looked into Sara's eyes.

Sara shook her head.

Laurel nodded.

The sisters collapsed into each other's arms and sobbed. In that moment the Black Canary and the White Canary were just two little girls crying for their mommy.

Laurel could see the guilt in her sister's eyes. "This wasn't your fault Sara."

It was. Sara had altered the timeline and time always took it's due. She'd kept Laurel from being killed by warning her and Oliver it would happen, so time took their mother instead. She couldn't, wouldn't, share that guilt with Laurel. "I should have been here. I should have been here to protect you, to protect her."

"Your life is with Nyssa." Laurel said as she held tightly to Sara's hand. "Nyssa needed you with her to help with the League."

Sara shook her head. "I didn't go with Nyssa to help her with the League." They both needed something good right now. Something to make the pain a little more bearable. "Nyssa's pregnant. I went with her to be there for her and the baby."

Laurel got to know Nyssa pretty well while they comforted each other over Sara's death. She was also a pretty smart cookie. The baby was Oliver's and he had no idea. She also knew her sister better than anyone and behind the pain and grief of losing their mother was a light Laurel had never seen before. Laurel smiled. "I'm going to be an aunt?"

The laugh was choked a bit from Sara's tears but she nodded and said, "Yeah, you're gonna be aunt."

"That's wonderful, Sara." Laurel said as she threw her arms around her little sister.

The funeral was hard but with her Daddy and Laurel beside her Sara managed to get through it. She even did alright at the reception afterwards. Then Diggle hugged her, and for some reason having her strong, protective friend hug her was Sara's undoing. She had to slip away to pull herself together.

"You did the right thing." Oliver said when he found Sara in the basement of Laurel's building.

Sara was sitting on the ground with her back against the wall. She had her knees drawn up and her arms wrapped around them. Looking up she looked at Oliver and asked, "Did I? My mother's dead, Ollie."

"I know and I'm sorry about Dinah." He said softly as he sat beside her. "But Laurel is alive. Darhk won't be hurting anyone else. Thea is more at peace than she has been in years without the shadow of Malcom following her around." He paused for a moment to smile at her. "And my son loves Felicity more than me."

Sara snorted as she wiped away a few more tears. "Everyone loves Felicity more than you."

He couldn't argue with that. It was the truth. "Don't blame yourself for this, Sara. Your mom wouldn't want that. If I had to choose between myself and William, I'd gladly choose myself, and so would she."

Sara thought about that. She would totally sacrifice herself for the child Nyssa carried, their child, her child. "Thanks Ollie."

When Sara returned to Nanda Parbat she wasn't completely guilt free, she never would be, but it was more like a stone she could carry in her pocket rather than a boulder wanting to crush her. But with the guilt no longer the focus of her thoughts Sara began to latch on to other thoughts. Caressing the baby bump under Nyssa's nightgown she wondered. What else had she changed?


	9. Chapter 9

The soft thuds of arms and hands slapping at the free standing wing chun wooden dummy, the clack of training sticks, the deep breaths and soft grunts of Ollie's new recuits mingled with the soft tapping of keys on Felicity's keyboard. The gentle hum of her tech, the distant buzz of the lights, the occasional muted beep, or buzz of a vibrating cell phone. For Felicity these were as soothing as rain on a window or a breeze through windchimes. It was a rare moment of peace and the blonde was savoring it because she knew it wouldn't last forever. It never did.

There was a second or two of utter and complete silence that sent a chill down Felicity's spine before they made their presence known. Three hooded figures, their robes and armor black and studded. Swords on their hips, two with bows on their backs, suddenly appeared in the Arrow cave. They didn't set off any alarms, they didn't walk off the elevator, they simply weren't there and then they were.

Curtis and Rory were alert but waiting to see what else happened. Rene already had his weapons in hand and aimed. Before Rene could even turn the safety off one of the bowmen had an arrow aimed at his head.

Felicity quickly jumped to her feet. "Stop!" She called out. Her eyes were darting back and forth between her people and the League men. "Rene, put those away."

"Are you kidding blondie?" The rough former Navy Seal replied while staring down the bowmen.

"They're not enemies." Felicity said as she moved towards the stand off. "At least I don't think they are. I really hope they aren't. We'd probably be dead if they were."

The man who stood in front of the bowmen stepped towards Felicity and everyone else tensed up. The man nodded his head once towards the blonde and thumped his fist against his chest in greeting. Then his spoke, "Felicity Queen, honored Second Wife of Al Sah-him, Beloved of Oliver Queen. Ra's al Ghul, the Demon's Head, First Wife of Al Sah-him, Beloved of Sara Lance, demands your presence in Nanda Parbat." One of the bowman stepped closer and whispered. The leader moaned softly before correcting himself. "Ra's al Ghul respectfully requests your presence in Nanda Parbat."

Felicity blinked. The first thing that went through her mind was the first time she and Nyssa had met and how the deadly woman had introduced herself using her formal tile. Felicity had thought it was kind of cool in a fan of fantasy kind of way. Now it seemed like she had a ridiculously long title of her own. "So I'm guessing Nyssa couldn't just call and ask me to come over, right? That wouldn't be a very Ra's al Ghully thing to do?"

"No. It would not." The man replied simply before adding. "There will be a plane waiting at the airfield in the morning for you and the others."

The three men repeated the gesture the first man had done before he began speaking. Then they were gone.

"What the hell just happened?" Curtis asked. "What was that?"

"That was the League of Shadows version of a text message." Felicity said as she went for her cell phone.

"So, what, the scary assassin dudes can just come up in here whenever the hell they like?" Rene protested.

Rory had looked puzzled and then suddenly asked, "Wait, Oliver has two wives?"

The guys looked at each other for a moment and then Curtis said, "That doesn't really surprise me for some reason."

Rene laughed. "Me either."

All over Star City the members of Team Arrow were getting the same message. Nyssa and Sara wanted to see them in Nanda Parbat. It had been a little over a year since the pair left to rebuild the League. Sara had come back briefly when Dinah died but other than that contact consisted of Sara calling Laurel and Quentin once a month. When the team regrouped back at the Arrow cave they instantly went into brainstorming possible reasons for why they were needed in Nanda Parbat. None of them had had good experiences there so their minds were going to some very dark places.

"Maybe it has something to do with Nyssa's sister?" Felicity offered. "I remember Sara saying they were concerned about Talia when she was here last."

Oliver nodded. Talia was on his list of reason too. He had questions for Nyssa regarding her sister. Did she know that Talia and he had a past? Did she know about Adrian Chase and his connection to Talia? And if she did why hadn't she warned him?

"We can play guessing games all we want." Quentin said. "We won't know until we get there."

"So we're going?" Thea asked.

"We're going." Oliver said with a nod. "Not you." He pointed at the new recruits. "You stay here. Don't let anyone blow up my city while I'm gone."

Through this whole back and forth about why they were being summoned to Nanda Parbat Laurel remained pretty quiet. She had a pretty good idea that the reason they were being asked over had very little to do with threats and enemies, but that didn't mean it wasn't going to be any less dramatic.

They hadn't been in Nanda Parbat for months and in that time the changes Nyssa was making had really taken hold because the people they'd left behind truly wanted to be there. The place was finally starting to feel as if it were under new rulership. The fundamentals of the League were the same, they were still the world's greatest warriors, the most skilled living weapons known to humankind, but they were no longer simply assissions. They were problem fixers, protectors, the shadows that keep the world safe and turning while it slept. Sara smiled as she made her way down the long stone corridor. It really was amazing what a woman's touch could do.

Over the past year Nyssa, with Sara at her side, had laid the new foundation for her League of Shadows and they were both pleased with the outcome. It had in no way been easy. Their people were starting to have run ins with men and women calming to be the true followers of Ra's al Ghul and his true Heir. Talia. Her former student, and Nyssa's older sister, was starting to become a pain in their asses. But not even she could dampen the best thing about the last few months. Once they'd been sure Nanda Parbat was secure, that every soul within was loyal to Nyssa, and with Nyssa's due date quickly approaching the pair went to the island of Nyssa's birth. The island where Sara had meet a future version of their child.

Things were different now. Laurel was alive, but her mother wasn't. Sara had been there for Nyssa throughout her pregnancy and was at her side when their baby was born. The child she'd held seconds after birth was not the same child who would grow into Laurel Amina Raakto Lance, and Sara had taken time to grieve for that version of their daughter. A daughter. Sara had a daughter and she was utterly perfect. Sara had always seen Nyssa as a strong, beautiful woman, but watching her beloved give birth to their little girl had left Sara in awe.

"Sara!"

Sara smiled at the sound of her name. "Yes Sin?"

The young woman Sara had befriended upon her first return from the dead had sought her out when Sara returned for her mother's funeral. The two had had a lot to talk about and at the end of Sara's visit she'd found Sin waiting for her at the airport. Sin wasn't about to let Sara disappear from her life again, and for good or ill Sara had agreed to allow Sin to come along. The young woman was now her student.

"The helicopter just landed." Sin reported. "They're here."

Sara's face lit up. She couldn't wait to see her family and friends again. "Go tell Nyssa."

Sin nodded. "I hope you two are as ready for this shit show as you think you are."

Sara laughed. "So do I."

The blonde walked into the throne room just as the first of their guests did. Her gaze went right to her sister and father and Sara beamed. "Hi Daddy!" She rushed towards Quentin and threw her arms around him.

"Hi baby." Quentin replied as he held his youngest daughter in his arms as tightly as he could.

Once her father let her go Sara hugged Laurel. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too." Laurel replied.

Team Arrow was nice enough to give the Lance family their moment but once it was over Oliver asked, "What's going on Sara? What's the problem?"

"Problem?" Sara questioned. "Who said anything about a problem?"

"You did." Oliver replied. "Or Nyssa did when she summoned us here."

Sara blinked, and then she laughed. "She didn't summon you. She asked you guys to come because we have good news, and we wanted you all here for it." Absolutely everyone looked confused. Sara looked them all over and realized their body language was saying they were all expecting a fight. Sara pouted. "Is that why Lyla and the babies aren't with you? I was hoping to see little Sara again and to meet baby Johnny. Didn't the messenger we sent tell you it was safe?"

"It's Nanda Parbat, Sara." Diggle replied.

"I guess I can see your point." Sara replied.

There was a moment of awkwardness before Oliver spoke up again, "So if we're not here because of trouble why are we here exactly?"

Sara's smile returned as she answered, "A couple of reasons really, but one of the main reasons is because Nyssa and I are getting married."

"Your are?" Laurel squeaked happily.

"Yeap." Sara beamed. "As soon as we officially dissolve Nyssa's marriage to Oliver."

"Seriously?" Oliver moaned. "It's not even a real marriage."

"It is to the League." Sara argued. "And there's no way in hell I'm playing Second Wife to you, Ollie. Nyssa's mine, and it's long past time I took her back from you." Oliver was going to complain again but Sara cut her office. "Besides, I'm sure Felicity feels the same way. I'm sure she'd rather not continue being called your Second Wife."

"I would actually like that very much." Felicity replied before tackling Sara to give her a hug and congratulate her.

Oliver grumbled, "It's not a real marriage, but fine, let's get it over with."

"It isn't quite that simple, Husband." Nyssa said as she walked into the room. While Sara was dressed in leather pants and a white tank top, Nyssa was in something a little more formal. Though her robes were not as ornate or elaborate as her father's they still clearly set her apart, marking her as Ra's al Ghul. But it wasn't what Nyssa was wearing that had everyone's eyes popping and jaws dropping. It was what was in her arms that had stunned the group. "There is something we must do before we can dissolve our marriage."

"What is that?" Felicity asked.

"I think it's a baby." Thea answered.

Nyssa took several steps closer towards the group while Sara closed the distance to stand beside her. Nyssa smiled. "She is in fact a baby, dear Sister in Law."

"Who's baby?" Quentin asked.

Oliver began walking towards Nyssa, Sara, and the baby. Everyone in the room fell silent. There weren't any guards, just Talibah, Sin, and Sara but no one really thought Oliver would do anything stupid. "She?" Oliver asked. Nyssa nodded. "Is she?"

"Yours?" Nyssa asked in reply and again nodded. "Yes. Seeing as how you are the only man I have ever lain with, how could she not be? You are my husband after all, and our marriage, wither real to you or not, was consummated."

"Once." Oliver said.

"Is all it takes." Thea threw out there.

Everyone quietly waited to see which of the emotions rolling off Oliver would win out.

"Did you know when you were in Star City?" He asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"I did." Nyssa answered.

"We both did." Sara added, she wasn't about to let him be mad at only Nyssa.

"You didn't tell me." He growled.

The baby began fussing. Nyssa soothed her, Sara shot Oliver a dangerous look as if daring him to upset either the baby or Nyssa.

"What's her name?" Diggle asked, hoping to defuse the situation a little.

That made Sara and Nyssa smile. "We wanted her to have strong names, names that held meaning, so we named her after the strong women who came before her."

"Dinah Amina Moria Lance." Sara announced.

"Lance huh?" Quentin replied.

Sara smiled and nodded. "Yeap."

"Well, if Oliver isn't going to ask to hold her then I will." He continued as he stepped between Oliver and the girls. He looked at Nyssa and smiled, "May I?"

"Of course." Nyssa said with a smile. "She is, after all, your granddaughter."

There was a bit of a tear in the old cop's eye. "Granddaughter, huh, I like that."

Quentin held the baby close and smiled as he looked down at her. She had dark hair and the brightest blue eyes. He knew better, but he still wanted to believe those were Sara's eyes. He placed a gentle kiss to the baby's forehead and said, "Hiya kid, nice to meet ya." He smiled a huge smile, and then looked up and over at Oliver. He looked the younger man right in the eyes and said, "Whatever you're feeling right now, son, put it aside for a moment. You don't want to taint this. It's one of a kind, holdin' your little girl for the first time. Trust me, I got to do it twice, each time was just the most amazing moment."

Oliver knew his friend was right. Pushing aside what he was feeling about what Nyssa and Sara did he focused on the small bundle in Quentin's arms. He nodded to him and Quentin put the baby in his arms. She was so tiny she fit in the space between his wrist and his elbow. She blinked up at him, taking him in just as much as he was taking her in. She was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life. "Hello Dinah. I'm your Dad."

"You are, Ollie." Sara said softly. "We never meant to take that away from you."

"When I first discovered I was with child you were engaged in battling Damien Darhk, and the Usurper was still very much an issue." Nyssa explained. "Though Merlin was defeated, Darhk was still very much an issue."

"And just when we thought it was safe to tell you." Sara began.

Oliver looked up at them and finished, "Prometheus showed up."

Nyssa nodded. "It was unsafe to announce our daughter's existence, not only because of Prometheus himself but also because…"

"He was working with Talia." Oliver cut in.

Again Nyssa nodded. "She blames you for our Father's death and me for taking his place."

"Chase was expecting Talia's help when we finally faced off for the last time." Oliver said as he looked at the woman across from him. The mother of his child who was not his actual wife. "She never showed, nor did the backup he'd been expecting."

Nyssa smiled. "No she did not."

"Is she.."

"Dead?" Nyssa finished. "No. She is my sister after all. But she now understands her place in this rather unconventional family."

"Where is she now?" Oliver asked.

"Off licking her wounds." Nyssa answered.

Oliver looked down at the baby in his arms. Dinah had begun to fuss, probably because of the tension building in the adults around her, but Felicity had managed to settle her down while Oliver and Nyssa spoke. "Will she be an issue?"

"For our child?" Nyssa shook her head. "Talia knows that to target my child would put a target on her own. For me? Most certainly."

"But she's a problem for later." Sara cut in. "Today and the next few days are about family. About you guys getting to know Little D and her getting to know you, and about her moms getting married. So let's get you all settled in and then we can take a load off, stuff our faces, and coo over the cutest baby girl ever."

Oliver tensed for a moment until Nyssa put her hand on his arm. "Sara spoke the truth, Oliver. My father took my mother from me, I would never do that to Dinah. She needs you." She looked at Felicity and smiled. "Both of you."

Sara had suggested allowing the team to double up to help them feel a little safer given past experiences in Nanda Parbat, so Laurel and Thea found themselves sharing a room. Once they were alone Thea finally spoke up. She'd been shocked by Nyssa's announcement, they all had, well almost all of them. "You didn't seem very surprised to find out Ollie has a kid with Nyssa."

"I wasn't." Laurel admitted. "Sara told me Nyssa was pregnant when she came back for our mom's funeral."

"And you didn't think to tell Ollie?" Thea replied angrily. "You didn't think my brother deserved to know he was gonna be a dad?"

Laurel wasn't phased by Thea's anger. She understood it in fact but that didn't change things. "It wasn't my secret to tell so I promised Sara I wouldn't. The only reason she even told me was because she wanted me to understand why she couldn't be there to help fight Darhk, why she wasn't there to protect our mom."

Thea shook her head. "It wasn't right, Laurel. You should have told him."

"He knows now." Laurel replied.

Thea again shook her head. Would the secrets and half truths in this family ever end?

In a room not to far away Oliver tore his gaze away from the baby who was asleep in a nearby crib to look over at his wife. Adrian Chase had wanted Oliver to give into the darkness, to become what he'd seen him as, the same damaged, irredeemable, soulless monster he was. But that isn't who Oliver is. Yes he's damaged, but who isn't. Yes he has a darkness in him, but that darkness hasn't been able to consume him the way it had Chase. Anatoly had been right. The darkness wasn't a monster within the way Talia had convinced him it was. The darkness was like the scars covering his body, only these scars were on his soul. They served as reminders of what he'd been through, of everything that forged him into the man he was. Oliver didn't defeat Chase when he killed him. He defeated him when he married Felicity. When, despite everything they'd been through, everything Chase had put them through, their love for one another won out over the darkness.

"Are you alright?" Oliver asked as he stepped closer to her.

Felicity smiled a soft smile, one of those small ones that said she was trying to be alright for his sake. "I'm fine. Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?"

"This is a lot to take in." Oliver said. "For both of us."

"It is." Felicity admitted. "But it's not something we can't handle."

Oliver smiled as he pulled her into his arms. "I love you."

"I know." Felicity said with a genuine smile.

"Well that went better than expected." Sara said as she flopped down on the sofa in the master chambers she and Nyssa shared.

"It did." Nyssa agreed. "But we still have much to work out."

Sara nodded. "Yeah, but we will. We'll make it work, for Dinah's sake."

For Dinah's sake things would be vastly different, not just her name but everything. Sara would make sure of that. She would make sure that Oliver had more of a role in her life. He would not be irrelevant. The cover story would be that Oliver had so generously agreed to help his lesbian friends have a child. They hoped that wouldn't ruffle as many political feathers as the prospect of Oliver having an illegitimate child whose age would mean he'd cheated on his wife. William could be explained as a youthful indiscretion. They'd bought land in Star City to build a home on. Dinah's first instincts weren't going to be to turn to the League but to her family.

But isn't that what caused Laurel to turn to the darkside? Savage had killed everyone the girl had loved. Was Sara just setting up the same dominios?

No. No, Dinah wasn't Laurel. Dinah would have her own life to live, she would have different experiences, some bad ones but hopefully mostly good ones. Sara had to let go of what she'd seen, the girl she'd met in that future that was never going to happen. There was a brand new future ahead of her, one she was just as clueless to as everyone else and she was both excited and frightened to find out what it held, just as every parent was.

The one thing that remained the same though was the unbreakable bond Sara felt. She'd felt it the second she realized who Laurel had been. She'd felt it again only stronger, so much stronger, when she held Dinah seconds after she'd been born. The unbreakable bond between a mother and her child, between a canary and chick.


End file.
